Colder Than Ice
by Subaku.no.gaarakun
Summary: When Sakura and Gaara get sent on an over-seas mission, a storm rolls in and Gaara is attacked while he is alone. What will happen to Gaara? How will he be saved? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfiction so if there are any errors or things like that please tell me so I can go back and fix it. I really want to turn this into a series, I think it would be a lot of fun.**

 **Rated T in later chapters mostly for blood**

 **Summary: When Sakura and Gaara get sent on a mission to go across seas, a storm rolls in and Gaara is attacked while he is alone.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or plots, this is just for fun, I make no profit out of writing these stories.**

 **Ages, Gaara: 20 Sakura: 20**

 **Other then that, Enjoy!**

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Gaara looked up at the boat, frowning. Sakura grabbed his hand, looking up at him. "It's going to be alright, I promise. I know you hate boats but it's only a few days." Gaara sighed and nodded, speaking in an emotionless tone. "Just get it over with.."

Sakura sighed, kissing Gaara's cheek. A smile tugged at his lips but he refused to let it show. Sakura knew he liked it when she kissed him, she would always kiss his cheek when he was stressed. Sakura smiled, walking up to the loading dock, pulling Gaara along with her.

Gaara stared at the boat, groaning. He knew it would be a painful week. "Last call for loading!" Gaara looked at a man dressed in a white suit, a red tie going down the middle. Sakura pulled him into the loading dock, walking onto the boat. Gaara's sand shifted nervously around him as if it knew how scared he truly was.

The ticket holder looked at the Kazekage and gave a nervous smile. "Well well then, I wasn't expecting to see you here Lord Kazekage. We'll give you the suite, it's on the second floor, room B2." Sakura smiled, looking up at Gaara. Gaara simply nodded. "Thank you."

Sakura pushed Gaara up to their room, smiling. "Come on Gaara I want to see our room!" Gaara followed, his arms crossed, Sakura behind him, pushing him. "We don't need to hurry Sakura, we have five days before this trip is over." Sakura groaned, "Your so lame Gaara… but I love you anyways." Sakura kissed Gaara on the lips, making the redhead blush.

They eventually got up to their room, opening the door. Inside was filled with decorations. Sakura walked into the suite, inside was a kitchen with a living room next to it. The living room had light brown couches and a TV in the middle. There were windows showing the bright, blue ocean. "Wow.." Sakura was at a loss for words, she had never seen a suite before.

Gaara walked inside, walking down a hallway that was off to the side of the kitchen, there were a few doors at the end, one leading to the bedroom. The bedroom had a king-sized bed in the middle with a nightstand next to it. There were a few lamps and a fan on the roof. The other door lead to a bathroom. There was a bright white, polished tub against the wall, a new package of soap next to it. Behind it was a shower, it was the same color as the tub, made out of what looked to be the same material as well. There was shampoo and conditioner inside of it, along with more soap and a small sponge. Gaara walked into the bedroom, laying down on the bed.

Gaara sighed, already not liking the trip. Though he loved the room they were in, he couldn't wait for it to be over. The redhead started to close his eyes, relaxing on the bed.

Sakura walked into the bedroom, laying down next to Gaara. She pulled him next to her, wrapping her arms around him. Gaara didn't resist, smiling a little. "I love you Gaara," she whispered. Gaara turned around to face her, wrapping his arm around his wife, "I love you to." He kissed her cheek, laying his head under her chin.

Gaara breathed in her scent, she always smelled like flowers, and he loved it. Sakura smiled, rubbing Gaara's back. There was a side to him that nobody ever knew existed, nobody except Sakura. The side of him that showed love and trust in others. He never showed anybody his vulnerable side except for his wife. She was the only one.

Sakura felt her eyelids becoming heavy. She let them close, falling asleep in Gaara's arms. She felt comforted, protected. She knew she would be safe with him. A smile pulled at her lips as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

…

Hours passed, the boat was far from any sort of land. They were out in the ocean, no land in sight. The boat swayed, keeping Gaara awake. He held onto Sakura tightly, starting to feel seasick from the constant rocking. The boat wasn't as large as a cruise ship, however it was larger than most houseboats. It had two floors and was meant to hold around seventy people. Due to it being smaller, the waves made it rock, and Gaara took the toll from that.

Gaara closed his eyes, trying to make the sickening feeling in his stomach go away. He looked at Sakura, frowning when she couldn't help him. She was fast asleep, and he didn't want to wake her. The boat rocked to the side, making Gaara cover his mouth. He didn't want to get up, if he did, he was sure the movement would cause him to puke.

Gaara's hand was shaking. His head was aching. He groaned, accidently waking Sakura up. Sakura shifted, making Gaara go silent, looking at her. "What time is it…" Sakura mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes, "I.. I don't.." Gaara was cut off when he gagged, Sakura looked at him, his skin was pale and the black rings around his eyes were much darker and bigger than usual. Sakura sat up, worried, "Gaara we need to get you to the bathroom."

Gaara didn't move, gagging again. The boat jolted to the side, making Gaara gag once again. He was about to lose it. He couldn't hold it any longer.

Sakura saw that he was about to puke and picked her husband up, carrying him bridal style to the bathroom. Gaara groaned, the sudden movement making it even harder to hold his lunch in. He knew he couldn't hold it much longer.

Sakura gently laid Gaara down near the toilet, he leaned over it and puked. Sakura rubbed his back, sitting next to him. The boat rocked, making Gaara vomit again.

…

Gaara sat at the toilet for another hour, the rocking eventually dying down. He groaned, flushing the toilet, laying down. He grabbed his legs and wrapped his arms around them, curling up into a small, tight ball.

Sakura sighed and gently picked him up, carrying him back to the bedroom. She laid him down gingerly, careful not to upset him more. She laid next to her husband, wrapping her arm around him, putting her hand on his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"I'm sorry Gaara, I know you don't do well on boats," she said, kissing his "love" tattoo. Gaara slightly opened his eyes, looking up at Sakura. He hated being vulnerable, however it wasn't too bad when he was with his lover. Sakura smiled a little and moved her hand up to his hair, running her fingers through his hair.

Gaara smiled a little, enjoying the touch. He loved it when she touched him, he loved the contact. Gaara wiggled closer to her, wrapping his leg around hers. Sakura smiled, tightening her grip around Gaara's waste, still running her fingers through his soft, red locks. Gaara looked up at her, kissing her. She smiled and kissed him back.

"I'm sorry.." Gaara mumbled, looking down. Sakura looked at him, confused, "why would you be sorry Gaara?" He sighed, still not wanting to look up at her, "I'm sorry for being so weak.. And getting sick over a little rocking.." Sakura grabbed his chin, gently making him look up at her, she kissed his cheek, speaking softly, "You're not weak Gaara, everyone has different things that make them sick, you just happen to get seasick." Gaara nodded a little, looking up at her green eyes, his own eyelids becoming heavy. He closed his eyes and drifted into a dreamless slumber.

…

Gaara shifted, frowning, sweat running down his face. He mumbled quietly, shaking a little, breathing heavily. He suddenly woke up with a scream, making Sakura jump. She looked at him, her face filled with worry. He looked at her, feeling horrible for waking her up. He managed to mumble in between gasps, "G-go to sleep S-Sakura.."

Sakura gently wrapped her arms around Gaara, feeling him jump and tense at the sudden touch. He eventually calmed down, laying his head on her chest. "I'm sorry.." he mumbled, looking down. Sakura rubbed his head, running her fingers through his hair. "It's alright Gaara, do you want to talk about it?" Gaara shook his head no, "Just go back to sleep"

Sakura sighed, running her fingers through his hair, knowing that it was all she could do to comfort him.

About an hour passed and Sakura fell back asleep, leaving Gaara awake for the rest of the night.

…

Sakura woke up to the smell of coffee. She slowly opened her eyes, looking around the empty room. She yawned, sitting up, rubbing her head. "Gaara..?" When no reply came Sakura got up, putting on some slippers. She rubbed her eyes, walking out into the living room, finding Gaara on the tan sofa, holding a cup of coffee.

He was noticeably shaking.

Sakura slowly walked up to him, frowning. Something was wrong. She put her hand on his shoulder, feeling him jump at the touch. He looked back at her, looking pale and exhausted. Sakura frowned, "Did you sleep after that nightmare?" Gaara slowly shook his head no.

Sakura sighed and sat next to him, wrapping her arm around him. She could feel him tense but she still held on. She slowly grabbed the cup of coffee, "How many have you had Gaara..?" She looked over at the table, there were used coffee packets all over. He frowned and mumbled, "seven."

Sakura put the coffee on the stand next to her, rubbing Gaara's back. He was high on caffeine. Ever since Shukaku was removed years ago he's had troubles sleeping. She knew this, however it still wasn't good for him. Sakura slowly touched his face, feeling something rough.

She licked her finger, rubbing it on Gaara's skin. Sand started to flake off of the spot, falling onto the ground. Gaara looked at her, shaking, wondering why she was taking off his sand armor. "You don't have to have that protect you Gaara, your safe here," Sakura mumbled, looking into the eyes of her lover.

His eyes were slightly shaking, she knew something was bothering him. It wasn't unusual for Gaara to have a coffee or two, but seven? Something was definitely wrong.

Sakura got up and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a cloth. She wetted it under the sink, turning back to Gaara. He was watching her cautiously, as if she was about to attack him at any moment. She walked over to Gaara, holding the damp washcloth.

Sakura sat down next to Gaara, gently brushing the washcloth against his face. Sand flaked off his skin, falling to the ground. Sakura knew that he couldn't reapply his sand armor if his skin was wet. Sakura looked back at his eyes.. they were scared. She looked at him, worried, wondering what was going on.

"What's wrong Gaara.." she mumbled, looking back down at the sand falling off his skin. He didn't reply, staring at her, frowning.

Sakura waited for a little while, wondering if he was going to make a sound. Nothing happened.

"Why are you taking off my armor.." Sakura looked at his eyes, they were staring at her, his eyes wide. "There is nothing to worry about Gaara. You are safe here with me.. nobody wants to hurt you.." Gaara looked down, removing the rest of his sand armor. The sand flowed into the gourd.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, looking at his hands. Sakura looked at him, rubbing his cheek with her thumb, "Hey.. don't be sorry, just tell me what's wrong."

Gaara looked at her, frowning, "I keep feeling like I'm being watched, like something is always right next to me.. stalking me.. I feel like I'm vulnerable.. and someone wants to do something to me.." Sakura frowned, understanding why he had his armor on.

"I'll protect you alright? I promise, I won't let anything hurt you" Gaara nodded, leaning against her, still shaking from all the caffeine. Sakura laid on the couch, pulling Gaara next to her. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. He laid his head on her chest, feeling tired, but wide awake. He wanted to slip away in her warmth, in her embrace. He wanted to forget everything and go into a peaceful slumber in her arms. However, he couldn't.

Sakura ran her fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. She wanted him to sleep, to be able to get some rest for the time that he was up the night before. She wanted him to relax, to trust her, however she knew that he couldn't. If something was bothering him, it would keep him up until he knew he was safe.

Gaara sighed, closing his eyes, but he didn't go to sleep. He laid there, feeling comforted. Sakura wrapped her leg around his, kissing his "love" tattoo. "I love you Gaara, and I'll always protect you"

Gaara nodded, smiling a little, feeling a little more relaxed.

The sound of rain snapped Gaara out of his comfort. Gaara opened his eyes, looking out the window. The sky was dark, massive waves in the distance. Gaara tensed up, starting to shake more. Sakura looked out the window, frowning. The rain started to come in heavier, pounding on the windows. The boat rocked from side to side, making Gaara cover his mouth. He hated the ocean, no hate was an understatement. He _loathed_ the ocean. He _loathed_ anything to do with water.

The boat suddenly shifted to the side, water pounding against the window. Gaara grabbed onto Sakura, shaking, terrified. He started gasping, closing his eyes, wishing this was all a nightmare.

Sakura held him close, pulling a blanket over them, trying to comfort him as well as herself. She was terrified, but she couldn't show it, she had to help him. "I-It's ok Gaara, storms happen, we're going to be alright, I promise." Gaara didn't seem to listen, it was like he couldn't hear her. He was breathing rapidly, the boat shifting to the side again as another wave hit the ship. She could feel him tense every single time it rocked. "Gaara you need to calm down we are going to be ok" She knew her words weren't helping, he was panicking.

Gaara felt his heart pounding. He gasped and coughed, hyperventilating. The boat shifted again, the loud pounding filling the room. He felt Sakura lay him down on the ground, her voice echoing in his head. "Gaara! Gaara you need to calm down" His eyes wandered, seeing double of everything. His gaze met Sakura's, she looked scared. The pounding was soon taken over by a ringing in his head. Everything was a distant echo, like he was hearing it from a distance. He felt his eyes start to close, he couldn't resist it. The ship suddenly jolted to the side, making Gaara hit the couch. He coughed, opening his eyes once again. Everything was a blur.

Gaara heard a small beep, a voice coming in over an intercom. "A storm has come over our path, please stay calm, we have professionals here to help. The storm will pass soon, until then, stay indoors. Thank you." There was another small beep as the intercom shut off.

Sakura looked at Gaara, grabbing him, holding him closely. He held him in her lap, his head against her chest. "It's ok Gaara.. Everything is going to be fine," she whispered to him, trying to soothe him. She felt Gaara relax slightly in her arms. She started to run her fingers through his hair. She knew it calmed him down. There were certain things that Gaara loved, and she would take advantage of them. Sakura got up, walking to their bedroom. She laid him down, laying next to him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. She could feel Gaara's hands grab her shirt.

"Make it stop.." he mumbled, covering his mouth. Sakura rubbed his back in small circles, frowning. "I can't Gaara, we'll just have to wait it out." Gaara frowned, closing his eyes, trying to lose himself in her embrace.

Gaara's sand shifted nervously, attaching itself to Gaara's skin, making his sand armor. Sakura watched, not doing anything to stop it, sighing. The armor attached to his entire body.

There was another small beep, making Gaara open his eyes. "Will the Kazekage please come down to the captain's quarters."

Gaara frowned, slowly sitting up. The boat shifted, making him stumble. He felt as if he was about to vomit, but he held it in. Sakura sat up, looking at him, "Do you need me to come with?" Gaara shook his head no, "The quarters are just across the bow.. I should be alright."

Sakura kissed Gaara's cheek, "be safe ok?" He nodded, slowly walking out of the room, holding onto the wall.

Gaara grabbed the keycard, putting it in his pocket, sighing. He walked out of the room, walking down the tan hallway. ' _This place could use some remodeling'_ he thought to himself, walking down the stairs.

Gaara grabbed onto the railing, frowning. The boat shifted again, almost making him fall down the stairs, not that he would've fallen far before his sand stopped him.

Gaara's sand wrapped around his arm, steadying him, helping him walk down. He got to the lower branch, walking down the long hallway to the bow. He glanced at the doors as he passed, sighing. He could still hear the rain.

Gaara looked outside at the bow, he could see a mixture of rain and snow coming down hard on the ground. He frowned, grabbing the door, slowly walking out. The rain and snow pounded against his armor, making clumps of it fall off. The sand that followed him fell to the ground as water collided with it. It only took a matter of seconds for his sand to be stripped off him, leaving his clothes to be drenched. Gaara shivered, the wind freezing, the rain not helping. He walked quickly, wanting to get to the captain's quarters as fast as he could. That was until he heard whispering.

He stopped, looking behind him.

"Who's there?" he asked, trying to make his voice as monotone as possible. Nobody replied.

He walked closer to where he heard the whispering, frowning, "Show yourself.."

Gaara frowned, walking closer. He didn't realize until to late what was going on. In a split second a gust of wind shot from behind a crate, blasting the Kazekage back, over the edge of the boat. Gaara grabbed the railing with one hand, hitting the side of the ship. He looked down at the waters below. A wave crashed against the side of the ship, splashing up and drenching him. He gasped at the frigged water.

He heard someone laughing and slowly looked up. A woman walked over to him, leaning over the railing. She smiled a crooked grin, looking down at Gaara. "Seemed this was easier than I expected. I at least thought you would put up some sort of a fight." Gaara tried to grab the railing with his other hand, however he was stopped. The woman grabbed his hand. He screamed, terrified, "Sakura! Help m-" The woman covered his mouth, laughing. "Don't make this too difficult, we don't want anyone to come and save you. Don't worry, Hypothermia will take over your body and kill you faster then drowning."

Gaara felt his grip loosen, he couldn't hold on much longer. The woman took her hand off his mouth and grabbed his hand. "Goodbye, Kazekage-Sama" She smiled, pushing him off.

Gaara landed in the water, gasping from the temperature. He inhaled nothing but the ice-cold water, burning his throat. He thrashed around, however it was no use. The waves and currents dragged him down under. He couldn't breathe. He felt himself starting to freeze. He couldn't move, hypothermia taking over his body. Panic filled him. ' _This can't be the end.. This can't be how I die..'_ He was dragged deeper, deeper into the freezing waters. He gasped once again, unable to hold his breath any longer. He slowly closed his eyes, sinking. Sinking… into darkness…

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 **Thank you so much for reading.**

 **I'll put out a pt. 2 soon!**

 **Please R &R**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, just a note, I usually will update on weekends because I'm jam packed with school on the weekdays, however, I'm feeling kinda under the weather right now, so I decided to write the second chapter while I'm home sick.**

 **Other than that, Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters or plots, even though I would love to**

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Sakura looked up at the ceiling, frowning. She had a sick feeling in her stomach, the kind of feeling you get when your about to lose something. She sighed, sitting up. She couldn't shake the gut feeling that something was wrong, very wrong.

She looked at Gaara's "Kazekage" hat hanging on the wall. The sickening feeling ate away at her stomach. She shook her head, walking out of their bedroom. Sakura looked outside the window, the waves crashing against the side of the boat. She groaned, starting to feel a little sea sick as well.

Sakura walked back to her bedroom, looking at the decorations on the wall. A small picture frame was dangling above the door to the bathroom. The picture was of the ship, dated back more than thirty years ago. She sighed, putting her hand on the knob, suddenly stopping when she heard a scream. Sakura looked back, running to the window. She looked out, seeing nothing but the raging waves and pounding rain. Her heart was racing, fear filling her body.

' _Am I going crazy?'_ she thought, quickly walking into the kitchen, mumbling to herself quietly, "Where did I put it?" She ran back into her bedroom, frantically opening the door. She ran to the side of her bed, pulling out one of the drawers in the nightstand. Inside was her leg pouch, a kunai and a few shuriken inside. She grabbed the kunai, holding it tightly.

Sakura looked out the window again, looking at the waves. Maybe her mind was getting the best of her. Maybe she was just going crazy and she didn't hear a scream. She tried to tell herself it was all fake, looking down at the kunai. However, she knew it was real.

Sakura walked quickly out of their room, going into the living room. She threw on a small jacket to protect herself from the rain. She frowned, looking at Gaara's "Kazekage" robe that was lazily thrown over the couches arm. Gaara never randomly placed items, they were always organized in a special way. The entire thing was bothering her.

Sakura walked through the kitchen to the front door, opening it slowly. She walked out of the room, looking down the long hallway. She took a deep breath, briskly walking towards the stairwell. The boat shifted, making her hit the wall. Sakura frowned, steadying herself before moving again. She could hear the rain hitting the ship, however it wasn't as loud as it was in their suite.

Sakura grabbed the railing, running down the stairwell. She regretted doing so when the boat shifted, causing her to fall down a few stairs. Sakura groaned, rubbing her head. It wasn't a pleasant experience.

She got back up, walking a little slower down the stairs. When she got to the bottom she looked down the new long hallway. She walked quickly through them, occasionally looking at the rooms, however, her mind was set on something else.

The feeling in her gut kept getting worse the closer she got to the bow. She knew there was something wrong. Something happened to Gaara, however, she didn't know what.

Sakura looked outside, putting her hand on the door. She saw a woman dressed in a red shirt, white lining going around it. She had black pants on, nice shoes as well. Her hair was loose and down, dark brown. She wore a pearl necklace that dangled over the railing.

' _What is she doing out there? Her clothes will be ruined in the rain."_ Sakura thought, frowning. The woman smiled, turning back and walking to a few crates. She grabbed a small bag, throwing it over her shoulder. Something fell out of it but Sakura wasn't close enough to see what.

Sakura slowly opened the door, putting the kunai in her pocket. Something wasn't right.

The woman looked over at Sakura, a frown spreading across her face, "What are you doing out here in the rain? Its much to cold out" Sakura looked at her, confused, "I was wondering the same thing, I heard a scream so I decided to come and see what was going on." The woman rubbed her head, "well I have been the only one out here for the past hour, I haven't seen anything."

Sakura realized she was lying. Where was Gaara? What happened to him? Sakura looked at the woman, she knew that she did something to him. "Where is my husband.." Sakura mumbled, looking at the woman.

The woman's frown turned into a smile. "Well, I guess I'll just have to show you." The woman ran towards Sakura, pulling out a kunai. Sakura grabbed her kunai as well, quickly blocking the woman's attack. The woman swung again, skimming Sakura's jacket. Sakura jumped back, holding her kunai in front of her. The woman smiled and casted a hand sign, taking a deep breath.

A blast of wind suddenly hit Sakura, lifting her up in the air in some sort of vortex. It quickly stopped, launching her over the edge. Sakura focused chakra to her feet, landing on the side of the boat, running back up.

A few guards came out of the captain's quarters, "What's going on here?!" The woman looked back at them, frowning. She was outnumbered.

"This girl attacked me!" the woman cried out, pointing at Sakura. The guards frowned, looking at Sakura.

Sakura could hear them mumble, "That's the Kazekage's wife, the captain called him down, but he hasn't shown up yet." They looked back at the girl, "Excuse me, Miss-" The woman cut them off before they could finish, "Don't call me Miss! My name is Akari Akiyama." The guards sighed, looking back at Akari, "Alright then, Akari, have you seen anyone pass through here?" The woman shook her head no.

The guards grabbed kunai, aiming it at Akari. Sakura looked at them, jumping and landing next to them. "She attacked me and threw me overboard with a wind jutsu, I almost got thrown into the water."

Reality hit her like a bus.

Sakura ran to the side of the boat, taking off her jacket. The guards looked at her, grabbing her arm. Sakura looked back at them, "She threw him over! She threw Gaara off the boat!" The guards' eyes widened, looking back, however Akari was gone. Sakura grabbed the railing, jumping over, diving into the water.

She heard the guards shout, but it was already to late.

Sakura landed in the water, her body shutting down for a split second at the temperature change. She closed her eyes, trying her best to pick up any chakra signatures.

' _There!'_ Deep below her she sensed chakra. Gaara's chakra, however it was weak. He was barely hanging on, just barely, and it was starting to fade. Sakura forced herself to move, swimming down. She swam farther and farther, running out of breath. He was so close..

She couldn't see anything in the darkness, she had to focus in on his chakra.

Eventually, it was right in front of her.

She reached out her arm, feeling something skim across her hand. She swam closer, grabbing onto it. She felt skin, a hand. It was him, but his chakra was fading.

Sakura started to swim up, getting weaker and weaker. The currents fought against her, trying to drag her down. She couldn't give up, she couldn't let him die. She started to lose hope, she knew she wouldn't make it. That was until she felt the water rushing past her. She felt something tugging on her leg. She looked at it, a chakra string.

Eventually Sakura was pulled out of the water. She coughed and gasped for air, breathing heavily. In the few minutes that she was gone a crowd of medical units and guards had surrounded the side of the ship. She opened her eyes, feeling hands grab Gaara, pulling him away from Sakura. They laid Sakura down, rushing them inside.

They wrapped Sakura in blankets and heating pads, trying to warm her up. She looked at Gaara on the ground, filled with panic. His skin was pale, no, not pale. His skin was _white._ Sakura bent down next to him, feeling his forehead. His skin was cold, colder than ice. He wasn't breathing either.

The medical units gently laid her down on a couch, trying to get her to relax. The rest tried to revive Gaara, doing CPR and mouth to mouth. Nothing worked. He laid there, lifeless.

Sakura felt hot, burning tears roll down her face. She fought against the healers, crouching next to Gaara. She had to save him. Sakura felt his skin. ' _Hypothermia'_ she thought. Sakura's hands glowed a light green as she scanned over his body. There was water in his lungs.

Sakura quickly sat him up, wrapping her arms around him, doing the Heimlich maneuver. Water came out of Gaara's mouth.

She laid him back down, doing CPR and mouth to mouth, trying to revive him. Nothing was working.

She then felt a small pulse.

Sakura looked down, another pulse. His heart was beating. She quickly sat him up and started to do the Heimlich maneuver again, more and more water coming out of his mouth.

Gaara suddenly gasped, coughing. Sakura looked at him, he was still unconscious. "He needs to get to a medical room now!" She shouted, looking back at the medical units. They nodded, picking him up, running down a small hallway. One of them opened a door, leading to what looked like a hospital room, but smaller. They laid Gaara down in the bed, hooking up an IV. They put a small tube down Gaara's throat, sucking out all of the water. Gaara gasped and coughed, not getting enough air in his lungs. The medical units put a breathing mask over his mouth and nose, trying to help him.

Sakura ran into the room, "He has hypothermia, he's going to die if we don't help him." Sakura ran to Gaara's side, trying to hold back tears. She walked over to him, "We need to remove his wet clothing, its only making it worse." The medical nins nodded, helping Sakura remove his jacket and robe.

They took off his undergarments, taking off his pants as well. Sakura looked up, "I'll dress him, all of you need to go get extra clothing, blankets, and anything that can warm him up." The units nodded, running out of the room. Sakura took off the rest of what he had on, drying him off completely. She started to dress him, putting on a white, pajama looking hospital gown.

Sakura looked down at her lover, guilt flooding her body. "I should've gone with him.." she mumbled to herself, stroking his cheek with her thumb. He was still lethally cold, if he died, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Sakura grabbed a towel, drying off his dark, red locks the best she could. She looked at him, frowning, kissing his "love" tattoo. She wanted him to be safe, back in the suite, in her arms. She wanted to hold him, to know that he was going to be alright. She sighed, her train of thought cut off when one of the medical units ran in, holding jackets and blankets.

"I brought what I could find, the others are still searching." She said, looking at Gaara. Sakura walked over and grabbed a few of the jackets, wrapping them around Gaara. She zipped them up, taking the blankets as well. "Thank you, we might just need a few more blankets, anything to warm him up." The girl nodded, running back out. Sakura walked back to Gaara, wrapping him in the blankets. She hoped the little things they could do would help.

More people came into the room, holding blankets and a few more jackets. A small smile crossed Sakura's features, but it was hard to notice. She took a few of the blankets, wrapping Gaara in them. If this wasn't going to warm him up, she wasn't sure what would.

"That's enough blankets, if we put more he's going to boil when he wakes up," she mumbled, looking at Gaara. There was a pile of blankets on top of Gaara, she didn't want to harm him any more.

One of the medical ninjas looked at Sakura, "Do you need any more assistance?" Sakura shook her head no, "Your good to go, thank you." The ninjas nodded and walked out of the room. Sakura sat next to Gaara, watching the pile of blankets rise and fall as he breathed. He seemed so…. Peaceful.

She heard the small beeps of the heart monitor, the machine pumping air into his lungs. He was breathing, and his heart was pumping. That's all she cared about. Sakura put her head in her hands, praying that Gaara would wake up soon.

She took a deep breath, rubbing her eyes. Silent tears ran down her face. She felt horrible.

' _It's my fault he's like this.. If I would've gone with him this wouldn't have happed. I'm such an awful wife.'_ More tears ran down her face, but she stayed silent. Sakura slowly got up, walking next to her lover. She pulled back the blankets, wiggling down under them, laying next to him.

' _Body heat is one of the fastest ways to heat up another person'_ she thought. She knew it was true, however she couldn't help but feel that she was doing this for herself. She couldn't help but feel that she was the one needing his presence. She wanted him to come back to her, to look at her and tell her he loved her. She wanted to hear his voice, just to know he was ok. Sakura frowned, wrapping her arm gently around Gaara. She pulled him close to her, laying her head on his shoulder. She took a deep breath, eventually falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Few! Another chapter done!**

 **I wanted to thank my reviewers,**

 **jacpin2002, Ekari, and tanuki**

 **Thank you for reviewing and giving me tips ^.^ I'll update the next chapter at least by this weekend, I might update two times a week, it just depends on what I have going on. Other then that, thank you for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating, I might have to just update on weekends. I'm still sick, so I decided to write a little more! I hope you all enjoy it**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, this is just for fun, I make no profit**

* * *

 _Sinking_ , _that's all he felt. Sinking into darkness, the never-ending abyss that consumed him. His chest felt heavy, like some sort of force was pressing down on it. He couldn't breathe. All he could see was the pit around him. He sunk down farther and farther, his mind clouded, in some sort of trance. He couldn't think, he couldn't see, he could only fear. Fear the darkness that swallowed him whole._

 _Each second the pain became more and more intolerable. Sinking.. sinking… sinking….. For a second he thought he was insane, and he was dead. He thought that this pit was hell, and he could never escape it. Hell for everything he did. Hell for every sin he committed. Maybe he accepted it, however, he wasn't sure. His mind was blank._

 _Only one thought crossed his mind, it echoed in his skull, torturing him, 'I failed'_

 _He failed his family, his wife. He let her down, and now he was gone. At least.. he was gone to wherever "this" was. He closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to fully take him. He didn't know why he was giving up, it just felt like there was nothing he could do. Nothing he could do to avoid the inevitable fate that he thought… was death._

"He's dying! We need more medical units now!" Sakura screamed, tears running down her face. She was losing him. She was losing the most important thing in her life. He was all she cared about, she couldn't let him go now. Medical units rushed into the room. A loud ringing ran through the room as the heart monitor went flat. Sakura looked at it, her heart sinking into her stomach. More tears ran down her face. She couldn't lose him!

Sakura quickly pulled off his shirt, doing CPR, desperately trying to save her husband. Nothing was working.

"Move to the side, I'm going to try to kickstart his heart." A medical ninja said, running up next to Gaara. Sakura quickly got off, standing next to him. The medical ninja made a hand sign, putting his other hand on Gaara's chest. "Clear!"

Gaara's chest jolted as an electrical shock ran through his body. Nothing..

"I'm going to try again, if it doesn't work I'll have to be a little more powerful." Sakura nodded, staring at Gaara. 'Please.. please come back to me.. please don't go..' she thought to herself, trying to hold back the tears that stung her eyes. The medical ninja put his hand on Gaara's chest, taking a deep breath. He made a hand sign and Gaara's chest jolted once again.

Sakura watched in horror, nothing was working. They were losing him. She was losing him. She couldn't let him go, she had to save him.

Sakura pushed the other medical ninja aside, getting on top of Gaara, her hand glowed a bright blue, her chakra making a point at the tip of her hand. She slowly slit open the side of his chest, her chakra healing the flesh to make sure he didn't bleed out. She reached in and squeezed his heart, like how she did for Naruto back in the great war. The other medical units watched, anxious to see if this bizarre method would work. Sakura bent down and did mouth to mouth, trying to get some oxygen flowing through his bloodstream. Seconds, no, minutes passed and nothing was happening. Silent tears ran down her face as she started to lose hope.

 _Gaara opened his eyes, expecting to see darkness, however, was surprised when he could see small amounts of light. The light burned, as if he never seen the change before. However it felt like it, the darkness was consuming him. It surrounded his mind, his body, and his soul. He couldn't break free of it. But something was saving him. Something was pulling him back._

 _He felt pain._

 _Why? Why did he feel pain? He felt as so something was ripping through his chest. He did nothing to stop it, like he even could. He couldn't' move. His eyelids became heavy, as he slipped into darkness once again._

Sakura laid her head against his, tears dropping onto his cheeks. "Please.. please don't go, I need you here," she mumbled, still squeezing his heart. She was starting to give up.

Then there was a small pulse.

Sakura looked down at him, another pulse. Her eyes were wide, looking at his chest. She squeezed his heart a few more times, the pulses came more and more often, until they were constant.

Sakura removed her hand and healed his chest, gently wrapping her arms around him, letting all of the tears she held back come out, sobbing into his chest. He was back. He came back alive.

She saved him.

The medical units gave out a relieved sigh when the heart monitor started beeping again. Sakura looked up at him with a smile, stroking his face with her thumb. She moved closer and kissed his cheek, slowly getting up. She walked to the sink and washed her hands, removing all of the blood she had on her. She wiped her hands off on a towel, grabbing Gaara's white, pj looking shirt. She put it on him, pulling back all of the blankets that were piled up on top of him.

She felt his forehead with the back of her hand, frowning. He was still chilly but wasn't nearly as bad as he had been the night before. Sakura looked at the medical ninjas, "Thank you, you may go now."

The door closed with a small click, leaving Sakura by herself once again. She looked at Gaara, sighing. She wanted to crawl back in bed with him, but she was scared that she would fall asleep again.

She was scared that she would lose him again. And she couldn't let that happen. Instead, Sakura watched him. She replaced his IV bags when they were empty, also giving him some sort of "liquid diet" to keep him going until he woke up.

 _Gaara opened his eyes once again. Where was he? Why was he still in the dark? He wanted to be free.. he wanted to go home, where Sakura would hold him. He wanted to see her again. The thoughts pounded in his skull, making him frown. The light was closer, however it was still out of reach._

 _He sighed, having to wait longer in this sea of hell. The feeling of dread was all he could make out. His chest ached, feeling like it had been bashed in with a hammer. His head was pounding, all of his thoughts that he couldn't hear slamming against his skull. The light was close, and yet he still felt as if he was sinking. Sinking farther and farther. He couldn't tell which way he should go. One leads to death.. while the other leads to somewhere far away from this hell._

 _He felt his eyes closed, slipping away once more into the darkness._

Sakura watched, frowning, tapping her foot anxiously against the floorboards. She wanted him to wake up, no, she _needed_ him to wake up. She _needed_ him with her. It was driving her insane. Almost a day passed since the incident happened, since she almost lost him.

Sakura eventually gave into her want, pulling back the covers and wiggling next to Gaara. She put her hand gently on his chest, laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed, breathing in his scent. He smelt like the desert, which wasn't surprising. She looked up at his handsome face, it was peaceful, she watched as his forehead slightly creased then relaxed, how his mouth opened slightly as he breathed. He needed the rest, however she didn't know if she could last any longer without him.

Sakura frowned, sighing, looking back down at his chest. She wiggled as close as she could to her lover, holding him close to her. She closed her eyes, however she forced herself not to fall asleep.

She wouldn't fall asleep until he woke up. She wouldn't fall asleep until he was safe. She promised herself that, twirling his white pajama shirt in her fingers. "Please come back.. I need you here.." she mumbled quietly to herself.

She felt tears running down her face, burying her head into Gaara's chest. It was torture having to wait for him.. it was torture watching him die…

 _Gaara felt the light, it was close. He opened his eyes, the darkness fading away. The light pierced his eyes, almost making him close them again. He was cold, though he wasn't shivering. He felt something on him, like something was laying next to him, but how could that be?_

 _He slowly looked around, seeing nothing but the light that took him out of the darkness. The light that saved him from that hell, but where was he now? Was he stuck there? What if he never came back to reality._

 _A voice made its way into his head, however it wasn't his. 'Please come back.. I need you here.."_

 _Who's voice was it.. he couldn't tell. His mind was clouded, he didn't even know where he was. He knew it wasn't his, but it sounded familiar._

" _Sakura.." he mumbled quietly, wanting to hear the voice again._

 _It was hers._

"Sakura.." Sakura looked up at Gaara, her eyes wide. "Gaara?" His eyes were closed, but he said her name. What was going on inside his head? She needed to know. "Gaara please wake up.. please.. I need you.." She whispered, looking at his face. She felt him shift under her, her heart pounding.

 _He heard her voice again. It was closer, louder. He looked around, the light starting to turn into darkness. Panic filled his body, he couldn't go back. He didn't want to go back. He felt a hand on his face, rubbing his cheek. It soothed him, making him relax._

 _It was then he realized his eyes were closed. When did he close them? He didn't remember shutting his eyes._

Gaara slowly opened his eyes, seeing nothing but the bright tile on the ceiling. The lights blinded him, making him shut his eyes again. Sakura looked at him, relief filling her body. Tears ran down her face as she wrapped her arms around Gaara.

Gaara opened his eyes again, looking down at Sakura. She sobbed into his shirt, holding him close to her. Gaara smiled a little, noticing that he was shivering. Sakura grabbed another blanket, pulling it over them. He slowly wrapped his arms around Sakura, also noticing all the medical equipment that was hooked up to him.

Wires and tubes covered his body, pads going under his shirt, on his chest. He heard the beeping of the heart monitor next to him, looking over at the IV and the liquid diet he was on. Gaara looked around the room, noticing they were still on the boat. He sighed, pulling Sakura up closer to him. She looked at him, a smile spreading across her face, "Thank god your ok.. I missed you so much.." She gently grabbed his breathing mask, pulling it off, kissing his lips.

Gaara blushed, kissing her back, holding her as tightly as he could, however he was still quite weak. Sakura put her hand behind his head, closing her eyes as they kissed. Sakura pulled away, putting his breathing mask back on, resting her forehead against his. She looked down at his jade eyes, "I love you.. don't you ever scare me like that again.."

Gaara nodded slightly, pulling Sakura down next to him. He laid his head on her chest, his arm wrapped around her waist. Sakura blushed, smiling, kissing his forehead. "How long was I out?" Gaara mumbled, looking up at her.

"A little more then a day" She hesitated, looking down at him, "You almost drowned.. when I got you out of the water you weren't breathing. Your heart stopped as well. Your skin was so cold.. I thought you froze to death." Tears stung at her eyes as she thought about losing him. She looked back up, trying to hide her tears. Gaara reached up and wiped the tears off her face, smiling a little, "Well I'm glad you saved me, and I wont ever worry you like that again."

Sakura smiled a little, running her fingers through his hair. She yawned, pulling the blankets up a little higher. She snuggled into them, holding Gaara tightly. She finally had him back, he was finally with her again.

Gaara yawned with her, surprisingly still feeling tired after what happened.

"Let's get some rest," Gaara mumbled, wiggling close to Sakura. She smiled and nodded, closing her eyes, holding Gaara close to her. She would never lose him like that again. She would never let him go. She felt her body becoming heavy, eventually drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading, and no this isn't the end. I've planned for a lot more to happen in the future. I want to keep this going, so it would be great if you kept reading!  
Thank you for making it this far, I've had a blast writing this so far.  
** **Please R &R**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 is up! Thank you for making it this far!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I make no profit off of this, this is just for fun**

 **Rated T for a reason**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Gaara looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't see much due to it being dark out, however the constant beeping was ringing in his head. He sighed, looking up at Sakura. She was fast asleep, holding onto him tightly. He looked at the heart monitor, watching it beep over and over again. He wanted to sleep, however he couldn't. He didn't know why, his body was tired, his mind was tired, but he couldn't fall asleep.

He looked up at Sakura, slowly sitting up, trying not to wake her. She shifted and pulled him back down, holding onto him tighter. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him like a teddy bear. Gaara groaned, his arms pinned to his side.

He was stuck there, unable to do anything. He felt off, like something wasn't right. He looked at Sakura, shifting slightly to see if she would let go. His sand wrapped around her arm and gently pulled it off him, allowing him to wiggle out of her grasps.

Gaara sat up, removing her legs from his waist. He pulled off his oxygen mask, putting it on the stand next to him. His head ached with the sudden movement but he tried to ignore it, looking down at Sakura.

He then noticed the tubes going down his throat. Gaara looked at them, frowning. He knew they were there, however he never really registered that they were in his mouth.

Gaara grabbed them, frowning, pulling them out. He gagged at the feeling, chills running up his spine. He hated it.

Getting up was the hard part, he still felt weak from what happened, however he couldn't quite remember everything. He remembered the water, how it stung at his skin and throat. He remembered the woman that tried to kill him, but he didn't know why. Why would she want to kill him? He didn't understand.

The boat shifted slightly, making Gaara lose his balance, falling over onto the cold tile. His sand protected him from hitting his head on the ground, lifting him back up onto the bed. Gaara looked at his sand, frowning as it laid him down. He struggled against it, trying to sit back up, but it was to powerful. His sand pinned him down on the bed, his arms stuck to his side. Gaara groaned, struggling more. His head ached but it didn't stop him.

The sand wrapped around his entire body, making him immobile. Gaara looked down at it, frustrated with it. "This sand has a mind of its own," he mumbled quietly, looking back at Sakura.

Sakura smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around the cocoon of sand. The sand parted to let her grab him, pulling them closer together then they were before. Gaara sighed, laying his head back against Sakura's chest.

He yawned, he was tired, but refused to fall asleep. He didn't know why he wouldn't let himself, he just felt as if he was vulnerable, and it bothered him. Even though he had been resting for at least two days, he still felt weakened. He could feel that his chakra was low, and he didn't have much energy. The incident really sucked out his energy.

Something bothered him though. Why would that woman try to kill him? He has never seen her before, at least she didn't look familiar. Maybe he did something to her when he was younger.. back when he was.. insane.

It was a possibility.. but he hoped it wasn't the answer. Gaara sighed, his mind racing to all sorts of possibilities. Hopefully he would never see her again, if he did, he didn't know if he could control his anger.

The hours passed slowly as the sun started to peak over the waves. The island they were going to was close, then Gaara could finish his mission. ' _All of this just for a peace signing..'_ Gaara thought to himself. The mission wasn't quite.. fun.

All he was sent to do was to sign a peace treaty, in his opinion it was a waste of time. It wasn't worth the upcoming meetings just to sign a piece of paper. He had much more important things to do, like run his village.

…

Hours passed, the sun was now high up in the sky, the room filled with light. Sakura shifted in bed, yawning. She rubbed her eyes, slowly opening them. The pink haired girl looked down at Gaara, frowning. His hair was a mess and he looked damn tired.

Gaara looked up at her, smiling a little. "Morning," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Sakura loosened her grip around Gaara, pulling him up closer to her, "Did you sleep last night?" she mumbled, looking into his now dark green eyes. Gaara slightly shook his head no.

"You need the rest Gaara, I know you were out for a day but that doesn't mean you can just stay up all night," Sakura stated groggily, running her fingers through Gaara's soft, red locks.

Gaara sighed, "I know.. but I couldn't sleep, I was tired but everything has jut been bothering me." Gaara looked down, feeling weak and helpless again. He hated it when people had to help him, it made him feel like he couldn't take care of himself. He wanted to get this mission over with so he never had to think of what happened again.

Sakura sighed, sitting up, pulling Gaara up with her. "Just try to get some sleep tonight please? We are supposed to be arriving late tonight, around ten."

Gaara just nodded, not so sure if he could promise anything. It was bothering him more then she knew. He slowly got up, holding onto the bed for support. Sakura grabbed his arm, "Gaara you should be laying in bed, you almost died a few nights ago, just rest."

Gaara shook his head no, "There are more important things that I could be doing right now," He stated flatly. Sakura rolled her eyes, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him back down.

Gaara fought back, however it didn't do much. She pinned him down, getting on top of him before he could really protest. "Sakura get off me!" Gaara tilted his head to the side, coughing into his arm. His chest still felt heavy, but not nearly as bad as when he woke up.

Sakura smiled, laying on top of him, "Nope, not until you fall asleep."

Gaara looked up at her, shaking his head no. He wouldn't fall asleep, he couldn't find it in himself to become vulnerable again. He didn't care if he became sleep deprived, he didn't care if he had to stay awake for days, he would do it. He wasn't going to fall asleep.

Sakura smiled, putting her hand on his neck. She felt Gaara tense under her, realizing what she was doing. She snaked her hand behind his neck, stopping on a spot around the base of his neck. Gaara struggled, trying to get her hand off his neck.

"Don't you dare take advantage of me!" Gaara hissed, looking at her arm, his eyes wide. Gaara knew she was going after his sweet spot, a small spot on his neck that she always took advantage of when he wouldn't sleep. He couldn't resist her when she did.

Sakura slowly started to rub the spot, feeling Gaara wiggle under her. He eventually slowed down, biting his lip. He couldn't make any sound, or else people would hear him. He tried to make his sand stop her however it didn't move. It wouldn't listen to him. "S-stupid s-sand.." Gaara spat, slowly relaxing under his lover.

Sakura rubbed harder, making Gaara produce a small sound, a mix between a whimper and a moan. He let out a shaky sigh, his eyelids becoming heavy. He couldn't resist it.

Gaara made another small sound, mumbling quietly, "Sakura.. s-stop.." He cursed himself mentally for not sounding as strict as he would like. Another shaky breath escaped his lips, making chills go down his spine. Sakura bent down and kissed his lips, getting a groan out of Gaara. "Not until you fall asleep," she smiled, he was under her control.

Gaara moved slightly, trying desperately to get Sakura off him. She chuckled, putting more pressure on his arms and legs. He couldn't move, he couldn't get away. She rubbed harder, laying on top of him, smiling. "Just give it up already, you know you can't escape."

Gaara forced his eyes open, looking up at Sakura. He didn't want to sleep but he couldn't keep his eyes open. They were starting to shut, his body was tired, his mind was tired, and it was taking over him.

He felt his eyes close, and he did nothing to stop it. Sakura smiled, he finally was letting himself sleep. She started to stop rubbing, laying next to him. She felt him relax completely as he drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

Sakura watched over his peaceful body, making sure that he was safe. She was terrified that another accident would happen, and that she would for sure lose him to it. She sighed, moving a strand of his red hair out of his face. His hair was a mess, flat in some areas, spiked out in others. It looked as if he had been hit by a bus. She smiled slightly. He needed to shower soon, and she could help him if he needed.

Sakura reached over and grabbed his breathing mask, gently pulling it over his face, resting it on his mouth. She slowly got up, looking over at the heart monitor. The beeping was about to drive her insane, but at least she knew it meant her lover was healthy. Sakura groaned, she didn't notice until then how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten since the accident a few days ago.

Sakura looked at Gaara, not wanting to leave his side. ' _I'll just make this quick.. I don't need much to eat.. just something'_ she thought to herself.

Sakura walked out of the room at a quick pace, walking down to the dining area. She went to the front desk and looked at the options. ' _Gaara might be hungry as well, he hasn't eaten anything besides that liquid diet they put him on.'_

"Welcome to the diner, what would you like to eat ma'am?" Sakura was pulled away from her thoughts to see a woman wearing a white gown, a cap covering her hair. Sakura smiled, "Oh, I'll have some Miso soup and some Yakitori for my husband."

The cashier smiled and placed in her order, looking back up at Sakura, "Anything else?" Sakura shook her head no, pulling out some ryo from her pocket, giving it to the woman.

Her food came out at a surprisingly fast pace. Sakura grabbed it and walked down the hall to Gaara's room. She opened the door, setting Gaara's food in a small fridge they had inside of the mini hospital room, sitting down in a small chair next to Gaara. She opened the container with her soup in it, grabbing some chop sticks and starting to eat.

' _It's really good'_ She thought to herself as she slurped the rest of the soup out of the container. She threw the white container into the garbage, moving closer to her husband.

She watched Gaara's chest rise and fall as he breathed. He had wrapped his arms around one of his pillows, holding it as if it was a person, which he probably thought it was. She smiled, ' _Fearsome sand demon huh.. He just looks like a cute panda._ ' Sakura smiled to herself, watching his peaceful figure in case something was to happen.

…

Gaara shifted slightly, frowning. The darkness was drifting away from him ask he started to wake up. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. When did he fall asleep? He wasn't exactly sure..

Gaara slowly opened his eyes, the lights blinding him. He instinctively covered his eyes, trying to help them adjust to the light change. He sat up slowly, his eyes finally adjusting to the light. He looked up at Sakura. She was slumped over in a chair next to him, her eyes closed. ' _How long was I asleep?_ ' he asked himself, looking at the time. "ten thirty huh.." Gaara groaned, he was asleep the entire day.

The lights were still on, however it was dark outside. He looked back at Sakura, smiling a little. He knew she was watching over him. Gaara gently wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up. She leaned against him and smiled slightly as he put her in his place. Gaara got up, removing his breathing mask, taking off the medical gown and changing into some of his clothes. He pulled the covers over Sakura, moving some of her hair out of her face.

She looked.. peaceful, but everyone did when they were asleep. Gaara bent down and kissed her cheek, feeling her soft skin on his lips. He smiled, quietly walking out of the room.

It had been a few days since the last time he walked. In his opinion it was great to be on his feet again. The rest was torture.

' _Didn't Sakura say we were supposed to be arriving around ten?'_ Gaara thought to himself, scratching his head. He sighed, walking down the long hallway towards the bow. He looked at the same, tan colored hallways leading up to the door, putting his hands in his pockets. He walked outside to see around ten people already outside, looking at the water and towards the front of the ship. He could tell by their expressions that they didn't expect him to be there.

Gaara looked around nervously, he didn't like it when people stared at him, he didn't know why. Large crowds made him nervous, he didn't know why though. He always assumed it was from his childhood. People would stare at him, their expressions filled with hatred, fear, and disgust. He frowned, looking down.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye, it shined from behind a few crates. Gaara walked over to the object, picking up what looked to be a small envelope, a shimmering stamp covering the folds. He opened it, pulling out a folded piece of paper. His eyes widened when he saw what it was.

Inside the folder was pictures of him, pictures from the accident. He looked through picture after picture. One was of him holding onto the railing, looking down at the crashing waters, another of when he was walking over to the crates. Picture after picture, they were all of that night, but one disturbed him the most.

The last picture was dark, but he could still see what was going on. The surrounding was in a pitch-black room somewhere he didn't recognize, but what he did notice was himself, hanging on the wall with a rope, a knife stabbed through his heart.

* * *

 **Cliffy huh? Well, I might update tomorrow, we will see what happens though!  
** **My dad came in while I was writing this story and decided to almost chop his fingers off with a chain saw so my sister had to take him to the hospital..  
** **Anyways he's alright, just a few stitches, it was a rather interesting day.  
** **Thank you to my reviewers, jacpin2002 and Nanami  
** **Please R &R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is out!**

 **Thank you for reading, I'll try to update as much as possible through the weeks.**

 **I did put a small flashback in here, I thought it was kinda different from what I usually write.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I make no profit, this is just for fun**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Gaara looked through the pictures, his hands shaking. How could this happen? How could someone get these photos? He flipped through each one, examining them closely. They were all from that night, except the last one. The last picture scared him, it made him tremble. ' _Why.. why was he trembling? Why was he shaking? It was all fake.. It wasn't real!'_ Gaara stared at the last picture. There was blood on the ground around him. The rope was around his neck, holding him off the ground. His shirt had been removed, a knife still sticking out of his chest. ' _This isn't real..'_ Gaara thought to himself, staring at the picture.

"Lord Kazekage, are you alright..?" Gaara looked back to see a middle-aged woman looking at him. He quickly put the pictures in the envelope and shoved them into his pocket. He spoke with a monotone voice, trying not to let his true emotions show, "Yes, I'm fine."

The woman rubbed her head, "Are you sure? You were shaking quite a lot," The woman looked up at him, she was a little shorter than the young Kazekage, wearing a white dress, her hair up in a bun. Gaara nodded again, wanting the woman to leave him alone.

"Alright then, if your sure," the woman gave a small smile and walked back to a man, presumably her husband.

Gaara wiped his forehead, he didn't know why the photos were bothering him. They weren't real. They couldn't be.. Could they?

Gaara shook his head, trying to remember what he was doing outside in the first place. It was dark out but there were still other people around him. He walked to the side of the ship, looking out. He could barely see land, the lights shimmering through the darkness. He wanted to smile, the trip of hell was finally over, however he couldn't. He couldn't smile after what he saw.

Gaara looked into his pocket, the white edge of the paper visible under his maroon robe. His sand wisped nervously around his feet. It knew something was bothering him.

Gaara looked back out at the island, sighing. He walked quickly back towards the door, back towards the small hospital room. His hand brushed against the cold metal handle. He looked down at it, grabbing it. He opened the door, walking briskly down the long hallway.

Gaara quickly made it to their room, speaking it wasn't far from the exit. He grabbed the door and swung it open, looking at Sakura asleep in the bed. He frowned, he wanted to talk to her about the pictures, but he didn't want to worry her.

If Sakura knew about the pictures, she wouldn't let Gaara out of his sight. She would lock him in their hotel room and not let him out until she knew he was safe. Gaara groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. 'I can't tell her yet.' He thought to himself. Not yet, he couldn't worry her after he was just attacked. He couldn't do that to her.

A small voice soon came over the intercom, "Unfortunately the trip is coming to the end, we will soon be to the island, so please collect your items and be ready for when we dock. Thank you" There was a beep as the intercom shut off. Gaara rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately my ass.."

Gaara walked over to Sakura, debating whether or not to wake her up or carry her. He smiled slightly, gently picking her up, carrying her bridal style. She leaned against his chest, her pink hair dangling over her face. Gaara smiled, carefully moving a few strands of hair out of her face, kissing her cheek.

…

Gaara walked past the crowd of people, holding Sakura in his arms. Somehow she was still asleep, he was surprised she could sleep with all the noise. Gaara's sand followed behind him, carrying all of their luggage. He stepped off the dock of the ship, thanking the gods for being on dry land once again. He let out a sigh of relief, a small smile spreading across his features.

He walked out into the busy streets, people looking at him with surprised looks. He pushed through the crowds, looking for their hotel. The entire island was green, full of nature, which was a huge difference from the dry, dead desert he'd lived in all his life. It was nice.

Gaara looked at the forest that stretched beyond the small village. The village itself was smaller then one of the hidden villages, but larger then some of the branches. It had a lot of people for its size as well.

Gaara looked at building after building, looking for where they were staying. He smiled once he came across a small, brown building. He had found it. He walked inside, walking to the front desk. A tall, blond woman looked up at him and smiled, "Welcome Lord Kazekage, we have your room ready for you and your wife." Gaara smiled and thanked her, taking the key and walking down the hallway.

There were two floors of the building, the upper floor was mainly rooms, the bottom full of laundry rooms, a diner, and a small bar. Gaara walked quickly up the stairs, looking down at his lover. She shifted slightly, relaxing once again in his arms. Gaara looked at the key card, his sand carrying it and everything else behind him. He walked down the long hallway towards their room, looking at the boring decorations on the wall.

The walls weren't to decorated, only having a painting here and there. Honestly, he thought that many places could be remodeled.

Gaara looked at the door in front of him. It was one of the furthest down the hallway. His sand swiped the key card against the reader, opening the door for Gaara.

Gaara walked in, it wasn't much, but he didn't mind. Inside the room was a queen-sized bed, a TV on a stand in front of it. There was a closet and a few drawers in the stand as well. The walls were a light grey and decorated with a few paintings. Gaara looked to his side, a bathroom off to the left. He walked to the bed, pulling back the covers, gently laying Sakura down.

He kissed her head, walking into the bathroom. It had been a few days since he showered, he was relieved once he saw the white, plain shower in the corner of the bathroom. He started getting undressed, taking off his robes. He hung his clothes on a hanger outside of the bathroom, walking back in and locking the door.

The water ran down his face, splashing onto the ground. He sighed, it honestly felt great to be able to shower again. He frowned, grabbing the soap, washing off his body. He closed his eyes and looked up, letting the water drip down his neck.

He leaned against the wall, slumping down to the ground. He sat there for what felt like forever, thinking.

His mind was racing, making his head spin. Groaning, Gaara rubbed his head. The steam filled the room, making a misty haze. He coughed slightly, not used to the humidity. The entire island was humid, and he wasn't used to it. It made it hard to breathe at times.

Gaara coughed, covering his mouth. He felt as if he was choking on air. Gaara gagged, a reflex from coughing.

No, it wasn't the humidity, even though it was a small factor, he _couldn't_ breathe. His chest felt heavy, like it did when he woke up from drowning. Gaara grabbed his chest, everything turning to a blur. He forced his eyes shut, gagging again, coughing hard.

Sakura shifted in bed, groaning. She knew it was late. Her body screamed for her to go back to sleep, and she almost did, but opened her eyes once she heard water running. Sakura groaned, sitting up. She rubbed her eyes, yawning. Her mind was clouded from sleep.

Sakura stood up, straightening out her hair. She looked at the closed door, guessing it was the bathroom. She didn't know how she got into the room, but she assumed Gaara carried her there. Her mind got a jump start once she heard coughing inside.

Sakura ran to the door, pounding on it, "Gaara?! Gaara are you there?" however no reply came from the room. All she heard was coughing.

Sakura looked at the lock, panicking. She could hear him coughing, she could hear him gasping. She kicked the door, trying desperately to get inside. She focused her chakra towards her fist, reaching back and punching the door. The door shattered, allowing Sakura to break off the chips, squeezing through the hole.

The room was filled with steam, the mirror clouded. Gaara was laying on the white tile, his hand over his chest. Sakura ran to him, pulling him out of the shower. She held his body close to hers, walking through the door. The water from his body soaked into her clothes, but it didn't bother her. The only thing that was on her mind was saving him.

Sakura sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed. She held Gaara close to her, "Gaara calm down, you need to calm down."

Gaara's head bobbed up and down, he felt as if he was breathing through a straw. The world spun around him as it started to fade into darkness. He didn't want the dark, he didn't want to be alone.

Gaara felt hands lay him down on the cold floor. He gazed up at Sakura, only able to see portions of her, everything else was a blur.

Sakura focused her chakra towards her hands, her hands glowing a light, baby blue color. She scanned over his body, looking for anything that could be blocking his airway.

She noticed water in his throat. Water.. again.

Sakura placed her hands on his chest, starting to do CPR, trying to get him to cough up the water. She noticed a small amount of water coming out of his mouth.

Gaara gasped, grabbing her hand. She jumped slightly in shock, not expecting the sudden movement from him. Gaara forced himself to sit up, taking deep breaths, breathing heavily. She pulled him towards her, holding him closely. "Gaara, what happened?" He gave a small sigh in reply.

Sakura rocked back and forth, running her fingers through his hair. She felt him relax against her chest. "Let's get you dried up, then maybe you can tell me."

Sakura laid Gaara down, walking to grab him some clothes. She picked out a plain, black T-shirt with some dark pajama pants. The pants had small, white stars all over them. Sakura had insisted that he brought them, even though she had never seen him wear them. He shook his head no as she shoved them into their bag.

She grabbed him some underwear, speaking it would be weird if he didn't wear underwear under his pajamas. She walked back to Gaara, holding the articles of clothing in her arms. She sat next to him, wiping some of the water off his face.

"Oh, yes, I can't forget to dry you off." Sakura stood, walking to the bathroom. She grabbed one of the plain, white towels and walked back to Gaara. He stared at her with half lidded eyes. He looked as if he was going to pass out at any second. His body was worn out and it showed. Sakura sat down next to him, his gaze slowly shifting towards her. She wrapped him in the towel, pulling him into her lap.

She felt him lean against her stomach, a small smile spreading across her face. The pink haired kunoichi dried the rest of his body, pulling on his clothing as well. Sakura sighed, picking Gaara up and placing him in bed. He shifted slightly, his gaze meeting Sakura's green eyes. She looked down at his jade, pupiless eyes, pulling back the covers and laying next to him. She pulled the covers up to his neck, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Gaara let out a soft sigh, wiggling closer to his pink haired lover. She held him tightly, stroking his cheek with her thumb. Gaara nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, closing his eyes. He didn't want to fall asleep, but he felt as if he had his energy drained. His conscious started to fade from him as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

…

Gaara awoke to the sound of birds, birds.. he had actually never really heard them before. He had seen them before on his trips to Konoha, however he never really heard them sing. It was actually quite relaxing.

He slowly opened his eyes, greeted by Sakura's sleeping face. God she looked beautiful. Gaara smiled slightly, kissing her cheek. He sat up, stretching. He didn't quite remember what happened the night before, in fact it was all just a blur. Gaara slowly reached his legs down to the floorboards, feeling the cold wood against his foot. He recoiled slightly at the touch but flattened his foot against the ground.

Gaara stood, his stomach ached. He hadn't really eaten anything since the accident days prior. He looked at Sakura, sighing. He walked over to the bathroom, looking at the broken door. His vision went blurry for a split second, what felt like thousands of pounds suddenly being shoved onto his body. Luckily his sand caught him before he hit the floor. A sigh escaped his lips as he shook his head. He really did need something to eat. However, he pushed the thought out of his mind.

The morning was long, but it usually was without Sakura. Often times Gaara was up before her, getting a head start on paperwork in the morning. He didn't really mind doing paperwork, it was just a long task. Hours turned into days, days into weeks. He would go weeks without sleeping, without really eating as well, and it caught up to him.

Gaara remembered the first week that Shukaku was extracted from him. He felt exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. He didn't know how. He pushed himself day after day to keep going, every day much worse then the last. It wasn't until the second week that his body gave up on him and he passed out during a conference with his jounin.

-flashback-

Gaara sighed, tapping his pen with his index finger. The day had been long, just like the days before. It had only been about two weeks since Shukaku was removed from him, and it had taken a tole on his body. He no longer had the energy he once had, in fact every day he felt more and more exhausted.

He sighed, looking down at the paperwork on his desk. Ever since he got back paperwork had been piled on him. The work never seemed to end. A yawn escaped his lips, making Gaara frown. ' _What was that? What did I just do?'_ he thought to himself, lightly touching his lips. He had never yawned before, he had never felt _tired_ before.

He was cut off from his thoughts when he heard a quiet knock on his door.

"Enter" Gaara mumbled in his normal, monotone voice. A young jounin walked into the room, holding a few papers in her hand. "Lord Kazekage, I have a request from the elders. They told me to give you these forums. Please get them done as soon as possible, Thank you." She handed the papers to Gaara, who took them without showing any recognition. The young woman stepped back and bowed before walking out of the room.

Gaara flipped through the papers, sighing. He started stamping his stacks again, setting aside the papers the woman just handed her.

Gaara stamped and signed for minutes, minutes turned into hours. He set aside his final paper, leaning back in his chair. ' _Finally_ ' he thought, smiling slightly. He spun around in his chair, looking out the windows that looked over the village. He watched people walk in the streets, talking to others around them. It was hard to believe he made it so far in just a few short years. To think, just a few years ago, he would have slaughtered anyone that looked at him differently, and he would've enjoyed it.

Gaara's heart sank as he heard another knock at the door. He groaned and turn back, the sudden movement making him go light headed. He shook his head and tried to shrug it off, "Enter.."

Temari walked in, her hand on her hip. She smirked at the sight of her brother. He looked miserable. The dark rings around his eyes were much larger and darker than usual, his hair much more disorganized then usual, but still somewhat neat. His skin was extremely pale, any person who didn't know him would probably rush him to the hospital.

"Well you look like you've gone through hell." Temari smiled, walking to her brother's desk. Gaara stared at her, "What do you want Temari.." Temari shook her head, sighing. "Don't you remember the meeting?"

Gaara looked at her, not remembering anything about a meeting. Temari rubbed her head, taking the sign that he didn't remember. "Don't you remember? The meeting with the jounin, your about to assign the jounin genin to train. This is a big meeting Gaara, how could you forget?"

Gaara quickly got up and gathered a few things in his arms. A wave of fatigue washed over him. He almost collapsed at the feeling. Temari looked at him, quickly walking over and grabbing his arm, "Gaara are you alright? You haven't slept since Shukaku was removed, your still human you know.." Gaara gently pushed his sister off. He didn't need sleep.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Temari shook her head, letting go of her brother. "Alright then, fine." Gaara held his things to his chest, "How late am I?" Temari looked at him, frowning, "Ten minutes."

Gaara's eyes widened. He made a hand sign, his sand swirling around him, and in a twister of sand he disappeared.

"Where is the Kazekage? Wasn't he supposed to be here ten minutes ago?" One of the jounin's grumbled, tapping his fingers on the table. Gaara's sand entered the room, forming his body in a chair marked with the 'Kazekage' symbol. His body fully formed and he sighed, looking out at his jounin, "I'm sorry everyone, I got caught up with the elders."

The young Kazekage had his sand pass out papers to every one of the jounins. "These papers have your teams, I have looked over each one individually, and I believe that these genin will work best under your supervision. If you have any concerns, please tell me so I can make adjustments. Regarding the training, it is fully up to you on the tactics that you choose to train your genin with." Gaara stood up, "If any.. of the…" Another wave of fatigue washed of Gaara, however, this time, it took him over. Gaara's vision blurred into a downward spiral, fading into darkness. His body hit the floor with a loud thud, many of the jounin standing, running over to him. "Lord Kazekage!"

One of the jounin shook him, "Lord Kazekage?!" He looked back at the other jounin, "We need to get him to the hospital!" And with that, they picked Gaara up and rushed to the hospital.

-end of flashback-

Gaara shook his head, he had to get something to eat, anything. He heard Sakura shifting in bed, making him turn around and look at her. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes, "Morning Gaara." Gaara smiled slightly, "Morning," Sakura got up, walking over to him. She looked up at his face, frowning, "You look like your about to pass out Gaara, are you alright?"

Gaara shook his head no, "I need something to eat," Sakura kissed her cheek, "Alright then, I'll get dressed and then I'll take you out to breakfast."

Sakura walked to her luggage, pulling out her normal clothes. She got undressed, getting ready for the day. "Alright, lets go." She smiled and grabbed Gaara's hand, pulling him out of the room.

…

Gaara looked at the small restaurants that filled the busy street. People looked at him with confused looks, some muttering things to themselves. Gaara watched them cautiously, honestly he had felt uneasy ever since the attack. He had always felt like something was just.. wrong.

However Sakura didn't seem to notice, she was too fixated on finding something to eat. "Ah! This seems good!" She stated happily, pulling Gaara into a small restaurant. Gaara followed behind her, even though he wasn't really 'following' as much as being pulled.

Sakura sat down at the small bar table, taking a menu and opening it. Gaara simply sighed, tapping his fingers against the table, he felt like he was being watched.

"This meeting is going on as soon as the leaders get note that I've arrived. They should get the message pretty soon speaking the ship has arrived." Gaara sighed, resting his head on his hands.

Sakura looked over at him and nodded, "Then we can ride home and we won't have to worry about this place anymore."

Gaara frowned at the thought of water. He hated it more than anything. He never wanted to step foot on a boat again. Gaara groaned, nodding slightly, "Hopefully this trip is fast.."

Sakura looked at Gaara, putting her hand on his shoulder. He tensed slightly, eventually relaxing under the touch. Sakura knew something was wrong, but she didn't want to push her luck. She decided on asking him about it later.

"Welcome Lord Kazekage! It's a pleasant surprise!" Gaara looked up at an older man. He was wearing a white chefs gown and a small hat, smiling from ear to ear. Gaara nodded in acknowledgement, looking back down towards the bar table. "What would you like to eat today?"

Sakura looked at the menu one more time, "I'll have yakisoba." The man smiled and nodded, "Alright then, anything for you Lord Kazekage?"

Gaara simply sighed, "I'll have salted beef tongue and gizzards." The man seemed to give him a strange look but shrugged it off and nodded, putting on his wide smile again, "Alright! I'll fire up your food and bring it out as soon as possible." The old man walked back into the kitchen, starting up their meal.

Gaara stared at the table, tapping his fingers against his chin impatiently. Sakura watched him, frowning. She wanted to talk to him but she knew it would be better to wait, its better to be alone when talking about these types of things.

His eyes started to wander around the room, looking for something else to stare at. He started thinking about the photos once again. No matter how hard he tried to get it off his mind, it kept coming back. Each picture bothered him more then the one before. Each picture made him wonder how a person got it. Then there was the last picture. It looked so.. _real_. It looked like it really _was_ him strung up on the wall.

Gaara didn't notice that his sand had started to swirl around him nervously. He twitched slightly, clearing his throat. Sakura hesitantly reached over, putting her hand on his back. She started to rub in small circles, trying to make him relax. "It's alright Gaara, lets just eat and then go home."

Gaara shook his head, his sand retreating back towards the small gourd on his waist. "Forgive me" Gaara mumbled, not really sure if she had heard him.

Sakura nodded slightly, gently turning his head towards her. He looked down at her with tired eyes. He always looked tired, however he never looked as bad as he did now.

She didn't understand, he had gotten a decent night of sleep the previous night, besides the whole choking in the shower part. She leaned closer, closing the gap between them, kissing his lips. He slowly closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss. She moved her hand behind his head, gently gripping his hair. She heard him groan slightly, staying as silent as he could. She split apart, allowing them to breathe.

Gaara relaxed fully, looking into the eyes of his wife. She smiled and kissed his cheek, "I love you Gaara."

Gaara smiled slightly, mumbling quietly, "I love you to."

"Alright here's your orders!" The old man walked in with his wide smile plastered on his face. He set down two plates of food in front of them. Sakura smiled and grabbed some chopsticks, digging into her food. Gaara looked up at the man, thanking him before grabbing his pair of chopsticks. He broke them apart and started to eat his food, eating much slower then Sakura.

Sakura looked over at him and smiled, "It's really good don't you think?" Gaara nodded in reply, taking another bite of a gizzard he had started to eat. It was actually delicious, much better then what he expected.

The young Kazekage greedily ate his meal, he was famished. Sakura watched him, resting her chopsticks on the side of her bowl. She smiled slightly, she was glad that he was eating. Maybe it would give him a little more energy.

Gaara stopped shoveling food into his mouth, looking over at the pink haired kunoichi. "Is something wrong?" he mumbled, covering his mouth. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, a wide smile spreading across her face, "Yeah I'm fine, just glad your enjoying your food."

Gaara smiled a small smile, one that most people wouldn't recognize. Sakura, however, knew that his small smiles meant the world. Gaara didn't smile bright, wide smiles, his smiles were always hard to notice, but he did mean them.

Sakura leaned over and kissed Gaara's cheek, "Eat up, you haven't had food in a few days." Gaara looked down at his food and nodded, picking up another piece of the cow tongue. He took a bite out of it, staring at the rest of the food on his plate.

Sakura picked up her chopsticks, continuing to eat her noodles. It wasn't long before the red head finished his meal, gently pushing his plate to the side. He rested his head on his hands, looking around at the walls. His gaze shifted from decoration to decoration. Most of the decorations were lights and paintings. He shifted slightly, his gaze moving to the other wall. He looked over decoration after decoration, watching everything closely.

Sakura looked back over at him. He was acting… odd. Gaara did pay close attention to detail at times but he never seemed so.. paranoid.

The red head fiddled slightly with his fingers, his gaze still wandering. He glanced at everything, taking everything into consideration. His gaze eventually fell upon a kitchen knife, causing him to tense up. He looked around nervously, his heartbeat quickening. He needed to get out of there.

"Are you alright Gaara? Your starting to worry me.." Gaara looked and Sakura, not wanting to say anything. He nodded, lying to her. He was paranoid..

The old man walked towards the knife, picking it up. Gaara looked at it and shot up from his chair, making Sakura jump. He walked quickly out of the small shop, every once and a while looking back to see if the man had followed him. Sakura grabbed some coins from her pocket, putting them on the table. She got up and ran after Gaara, catching up to him.

She grabbed Gaara's shoulder, his sand wrapping around her and pinning her to a wall of a building. Gaara turned to her, his eyes wide. He calmed down when he saw her, his sand retreating back into the small gourd. She let out a sigh of relief, slowly walking closer to her lover. "Gaara.. please tell me what's wrong.."

Gaara didn't reply, looking down at her. He didn't want to tell her anything. He couldn't worry her any more.

"Nothing.. I just remembered something."

Sakura looked at him, she knew he was lying. "Gaara tell me," Gaara simply looked away, trying not to make eye contact.

"I'm fine, let's just go back to the hotel."

The trip home was silent, uncomfortably silent. Sakura glanced at Gaara every now and then, wanting to talk to him, but deciding it would be better to have the conversation at home. At least there she might be able to force it out of him.

Gaara stared at the ground, watching his feet move one in front of the other. He had his hands in his pockets, walking slightly faster than Sakura. He knew he was caught, and she was going to get the answer out of him somehow.

…

Sakura slammed the door shut, turning around to look at Gaara. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at him, "Alright, tell me what's wrong."

Gaara didn't say anything, his arms crossed. He leaned against the bedframe, not bothering to look up. He didn't want to tell her, it was for her own good.

Sakura slowly walked closer to him, noticing him tense slightly the closer she got. She put her hands on his shoulders, slowly pushing him back onto the bed. Gaara squirmed slightly underneath her, trying to escape. "Don't try to get out, I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's going on."

Gaara looked up at the ceiling, trying his best to not look at her. He stayed silent, taking a deep breath.

Sakura moved her hands towards his wrists, pulling him higher up onto the bed. She pinned his arms down fully, feeling the rest of his body squirm under her. "You're just not going to give up are you?" Sakura mumbled, sitting on top of his stomach. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling him slowly stop squirming.

"Let me go Sakura," Gaara hissed, his sand starting to come out of his gourd. Sakura shook her head no, "Don't even think about using your sand either, you know that I know your weakness. I'm not in the mood to drench you in water right now so please, please just tell me Gaara," Sakura looked at him, her eyes filled with dread. She hated it when he hid things from her.

Gaara caught a glance at her eyes, his body filling with regret. He felt horrible for keeping this from her, from keeping the photos away from her. He wanted to tell her, but she was already stressed enough. The young Kazekage's sand retreated back into its gourd, leaving Gaara under his lover.

"I can't," the red head mumbled, looking at her. His eyes were dark, almost a forest green rather then his normal bright eyes. "I wish I could.. but I can't.. I'm sorry.."

Sakura looked down at him, tears starting to jerk at her eyes. She was scared that he was hiding something important from her.

"Tell me, now" She was getting impatient, her grip around his arms tightened. Gaara winced slightly under her grip, grunting. He couldn't last much longer, he couldn't hide his emotions for much longer. "I.." Gaara hesitated, closing his eyes. "I.." He couldn't hold it, he was terrified.

Tears started to build up in his eyes, eventually spilling over. They burned his cheeks, like boiling water running down his face. Sakura's eyes widened and she let go of his arms, pulling him towards her. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him as close as she could. She could feel his harsh breathing against her chest. Tears rolled down his face, soaking into her shirt. He held onto her tightly, his breathing turning into gasps. Sakura laid down, holding him close to her. She rubbed his back in slow circles, "Breathe Gaara, just breathe."

* * *

 **Please R &R**

 **Should I do longer chapters or keep them short? Please tell me, I'd like to adjust my stories how you guys like them.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for not updating, every time I tried to click on my account it would pop up 'error 503'**

 **I have no idea how to fix it, but I'll keep writing chapters to post when fanfiction decides to work again**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, this is just for fun**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Gaara sobbed into Sakura's chest, gripping onto her shirt as if she would disappear if he let go. He felt her soft hands circling on his back. He felt her warm breath against his ear, "Breathe Gaara, just breathe." She whispered, resting his head on the pillow.

Gaara gasped, trying to control himself. He didn't know why he was crying. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop. The tears wouldn't stop running down his face. He couldn't do anything.

Sakura looked down at him, seeing a small child trapped inside of him. She saw the little boy that was looked down on. She saw the little boy that was neglected and left for dead. He was suffering, and she never saw it. He was still so.. vulnerable. Years after years of torture and hatred made him insecure. He was still just a child.

She held the trembling body in her arms, doing everything she could to comfort him. She knew he was scared, she knew there was something wrong. However, she knew she pushed her luck. She cursed herself for pushing him, pushing him when she knew he was the most vulnerable at these moments.

"I'm sorry Gaara, but its alright. I'll protect you no matter what ok? I won't let anything happen to you." She spoke in a soft, gentle voice. A voice she only saved for him. Gaara shakily looked up at her, tears running down his face. He hated crying, he hated showing his emotions. He hated being _weak._

Sakura kissed his cheek, gently moving his head back onto her chest. She felt his tears soaking into her shirt. His gasps eventually turned into soft whimpers. He mumbled quietly, sounding terrified, "T-There were t-these p-pictures.. I f-found them on the s-ship.. E-each one was from the n-night I was attacked.. There were about f-fifteen of them. E-each one was more u-unsettling then the one before. B-but the last one.. i..it.."

Gaara felt his heart clench. He started shaking, he was terrified.

Sakura held him tightly, rubbing his back, she felt a pit in her stomach. "T-the last one..?"

Gaara looked up at her, his pupils shaking. "I…I.. I was d-dead…"

Sakura's heart sunk to her stomach. She felt tears run down her face, terror filling her body. "No.. No you can't be dead, your right here Gaara! Your staying here with me!" Sakura shouted, feeling Gaara tense under her arms. She took a deep breath, holding him tighter. She wasn't going to let him out of her sight. She wasn't going to let him go anywhere alone.

"Where are the pictures," Sakura hissed, feeling Gaara quiver in her arms. Gaara clenched his eyes shut, his voice shaking, "T-there in my robe's p-pocket.."

Sakura slowly sat up, leaving Gaara on the bed. The robe was hung loosely on a hanger outside the bathroom. She could see a small white edge sticking out of the pocket, the sunlight beaming down on it. Sakura walked over cautiously, like it was going to attack her if she came too close.

Sakura reached and grabbed the envelope, looking at the small sticker holding the folds together. She opened it slowly, pulling the pictures out. Her arms started to shake as she held the fragile pieces of paper in her hands.

She flipped through one by one, her eyes widening. Terror filled her body, each picture haunting her. Each picture made her more and more sick. How? How did someone get these?! She felt her stomach twist in a disgusting knot. Her hatred and anger got worse and worse.. until she got to the last picture.

Sakura looked at the picture, her fingers gently skimming the paper. Her body froze with fear. "No.. no this can't happen!" Sakura cried, tears running down her face. Sakura turned back to Gaara, walking quickly back to him.

She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up, forcing him to sit. "Why didn't you tell me about this?!" Sakura hissed, looking at Gaara, her eyes filled with anger and fear.

Gaara looked up at her, trembling. He tried to spit something up, he tried to tell her, but nothing came up. All he choked out was a muffled cry. He was pathetic, he was weak. He couldn't even choke up an answer.

"Tell me Gaara!" Sakura yelled, gripping his shoulders. Gaara trembled in her arms, looking like a scared little five-year-old. More tears stung at his eyes, pouring down his cheeks. Sakura shook him slightly, "Gaara!"

Gaara's sand wrapped around the pink haired kunoichi, slamming her into the wall. Gaara stood and ran towards the door, grabbing the handle and fumbling it open. Sakura squirmed under the sand, "Gaara stop! You can't be alone!"

Gaara didn't listen, breaking into a full out sprint. He slammed into the end of the hallway, quickly bolting down the stairs. People watched as he ran by. He looked down, trying to hide the tears streaming down his face. He couldn't take it. He couldn't stay there and be yelled at. Gaara's sand wrapped around him and in a split second he was gone.

…

Sakura squirmed, she had to catch up to Gaara. His sand suddenly collapsed, causing her to fall to the floor. Tears ran down her face. She pushed him.. again. This was her fault. Sakura ran out the door, following in Gaara's steps. She bolted down the hallway, quickly running down the steps.

Sakura looked around, panicked, she had to find him. "Gaara?!" Sakura screamed, running out into the streets. She looked around frantically, searching for her lover. Damn it! She went too far!

Tears ran down her face, people turning to look at her, "Gaara please! I'm sorry!" She screamed into the forest. The look on the villagers face turned to worry, seeing the state she was in. She was crying, her face bright red. A few people walked towards her, crowding around her. A young woman walked the closest to Sakura, putting her hand on her shoulder, "What's wrong, you seemed panicked."

Sakura looked at the young girl, her heart pounding. "My husband.. Gaara ran out.. I can't find him." Sakura looked at the woman, her face turned to worry, "The Kazekage ran?" She questioned, looking into Sakura's eyes. Sakura nodded slightly, looking at the people around her. "He- he could be in danger! S-something was going after him and wanted to k-kill him!" she cried, looking around. She heard whispers around the crowd as they watched.

"I'll tell the leader, we will have some shinobi search for him." A voice echoed, a man pushing his way through the crowd. Sakura looked back to see an older man, he looked about forty. His eyes were dark, his hair tinted with grey. He wore a jounin vest, a pouch on his leg. Sakura nodded, walking slightly closer, "Thank you, I'm going to join on the search and nobody is going to change my mind."

The man nodded slightly, jumping up on the rooftops. "First lets see if he's around, maybe we can find him before consulting with the leader." The man leapt off the house, jumping off into the forest.

Sakura leapt off the ground, jumping off house after house. She jumped over the trees, searching for any sign of the red head down below. All she could see were mixtures of green. Green trees, green grass, green bushes. Everything was flooded with green.

There was no sign of the young Kazekage anywhere.

…

Sakura looked around, starting to lose hope. The sun was setting off in the distance and they still didn't find Gaara. Search parties were everywhere on the island. The island however, wasn't small. It was actually rather large for its size, some people didn't even consider it to be an island.

Tears burned her eyes. She jumped into the trees, wanting to get one more search for the night. Maybe, just _maybe_ she would find him.

Sakura looked around, the sunlight slowly starting to trickle away. Every second it grew darker, which only made it harder to find him. Sakura heard a voice behind her, "It's getting late, you should head back home and get some rest. It's no use trying to find him when your exhausted." The older man spoke, looking down at the pink haired kunoichi.

Sakura nodded slightly. She didn't want to give up but she knew he was right. She was exhausted from looking all day, but she was worried. Worried was just an understatement. She had that gut wrenching feeling, that feeling that can drive a person insane. Sakura shook her head, a single tear running down her face.

She wiped it quickly, making sure the man didn't see it. "Alright.. I'll start again early in the morning."

The walk home was silent. Nobody was out on the usually busy streets. All the lights were off, leaving Sakura lone to her thoughts. ' _This is my fault, I pushed him too far. I did this to him!'_ she screamed to herself. Tears started to roll down her face as her thoughts got the best of her.

' _What if he's hurt! What if he was kidnapped and I don't know it!'_ she screamed, only causing herself to cry more. Sakura walked into the dark hotel, pulling the small keycard out of her pocket and holding it tightly. Sakura looked down at it, her hands shaking. She didn't want to think about it. She wanted to make sure he was safe.

All she wanted was to have him in her arms. She wished she would've comforted him when she had the chance. _'He must hate me! He must hate me so much he never wants to come back to me!'_ she sobbed, slowly walking up to her room.

Sakura grabbed the railing, climbing up the plain steps that led to her floor. She choked down a muffled sob, not wanting to wake anybody that may be trying to sleep. She slid the keycard in the reader, the light flashing green. Sakura pushed the door open, looking inside. Part of her thought this was all a dream, and that she would wake up from this nightmare. The other part of her expected to see him inside the hotel, waiting for her. However, he wasn't there.

Sakura stumbled over to the bed, reaching and grabbing the photos that were left there. She slowly flipped through each one. The longer she looked at them, the more regret built in her body. She felt remorse, sorrow, fear. She was terrified of losing him. She was terrified of being alone.

Sakura held the pictures to her chest, sobbing silently. The tears dripped onto the white comforter that was placed on the bed, staining it grey. The tears soaked into the sheets, leaving a semi-damp circle.

Sakura laid down on the bed, burying her head in the pillow. She sobbed for what felt like hours, sobbing until she eventually drifted off to sleep.

…

Gaara looked around, hearing thunder above him. The moon was shining bright over the forest, allowing him to see through the darkness. He made a mistake. He never should have ran away, if he didn't, he wouldn't be lost in this damn forest.

Gaara walked aimlessly through the forest, looking around. He couldn't sense any chakra signatures, hell, he could be miles away from anyone. Silent tears ran down his face, but he kept pushing forwards.

Due to him running out on such short notice, he didn't grab anything to keep him warm. All he was wearing was a simple black, long sleeved shirt with black pants that he changed into before the fight.

The wind started to pick up, feeling like needles stabbing into his skin. Gaara shivered, wrapping his arms around himself.

The temperature dropped quickly, within the next hour the temperature went from tropical to arctic. The sky was dark with storm clouds, rain pouring down over the forest. Gaara shivered, soaking wet. His sand was useless against water, leaving him weak in the cold.

His feet sloshed through the water and mud, wearing nothing but sandals in the rain wasn't the best idea. Gaara's feet felt like they were going to fall off, he felt as if he was about to collapse. Gaara coughed slightly, his breath visible through the cold. ' _I've got to find some sort of shelter, there has to be people around here… right?'_ Gaara thought to himself, shivering.

Why was he always out in the cold? Why was he always the one freezing to death? Gaara looked up at the sky, the rain hitting his face, running down into his shirt. Gaara looked around, closing his eyes. He had to find _something_ to protect him.

Gaara started running, stumbling. His feet were numb, his hands were numb, his legs were numb. Everything was starting to fade from him. Gaara tripped over a loose branch, falling into a pool of mud. The mud stuck to his clothes and his skin, feeling like ice sticking to him.

Gaara tried to push himself up, however his body was too weak to. His body screamed with pain. He wanted to keep going, he wanted to keep running, searching, looking for anything that could help him. He felt his conscious starting to fade away from him, however he held onto it by a single strand.

Gaara didn't know what he was doing, he didn't know what was happening. He felt numbness all over his body, he felt numbness everywhere. He didn't know how, but he managed to push himself onto his arms and legs. Gaara looked around, slowly wiping the mud off his face. His clothes stuck to his body, the mud getting under his clothes.

Gaara slowly got up, stumbling. He grabbed onto a tree, slowly moving one foot in front of the other. Step by step, he walked forward. He walked forward, looking for anything that could save him. ' _just.. a little….. more..'_ Gaara thought, grabbing onto tree after tree. He cursed himself for running out, for becoming vulnerable. He hated everything. All he wanted to do was go home.. he wanted to be warm, in Sakura's arms. He wanted to be locked up in that little room with her, at least then he would be warm. At least then he would be safe.

"I found him!" someone shouted from behind him. Gaara tried to turn back, but he couldn't keep himself going any longer. His hand slid down the tree he was holding onto, making him fall to the ground. "Hurry! He's weak!" he heard them shout.

Gaara felt hands grab him, lifting him off of the cold ground. He felt someone pulling him over their back. "We have to get him back! We have to get him to Sakura!" One of the men shouted. Gaara felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was going home.. home to his lover. His eyes started to close, the same darkness starting to take over him. "Shit! We can't have him falling asleep, he might die if he does! Someone get him something to protect him from the cold!" a man shouted.

Gaara felt something being wrapped around him. He recognized it to be a vest. He welcomed the new feeling, speaking it was more then what he had. It didn't bring him much warmth, but it protected his back from the rain. "We don't have much time, Sakura can heal him. Lets get back as fast as we can."

Gaara felt wind fly past him, brushing against his face. He felt rain pounding against the vest, soaking into the rest of his body that wasn't protected. He was barely holding on, just barely. He didn't know how much longer he could last.

…

Gaara slightly opened his eyes, seeing cloudy skies above him. When did he fall asleep? He didn't quite know. Where was he? He was still outside, and he could barely make out trees flying past him. "Lord Kazekage is awake!" shouted the man holding him. "Hey, listen Lord Kazekage, we found you out dozens of miles away from any sort of village. You were barely conscious, covered in mud and freezing cold. We rescued you and wrapped you in the only thing we had. We are about ten minutes about to the village, when we get there we will have Sakura heal you up alright?" Gaara didn't reply, he tried to, but he didn't have the energy to force anything out.

He felt the man chuckle, holding onto Gaara's arms tighter. "Don't force yourself to reply, you need the rest. We'll get you back." Gaara closed his eyes again, taking a deep breath. He coughed slightly at the cold, sharp air being pulled into his lungs. "Hey take it easy alright? We almost lost you earlier so stay with us." Gaara sighed, making a small, "hn" in reply. He was to exhausted, _way_ to exhausted to do anything.

Gaara heard a small knock, opening his eyes again. He was in a hallway, still on the back of the man. He could make out the figures of people standing next to him, most likely the people who saved him. Did he fall asleep again? He must have.. speaking he didn't remember the rest of the ride home.

He glanced back at the door, hearing the knob jiggle as someone started to open it. The door swung open slowly, revealing Sakura standing on the other side.

Sakura looked at Gaara, her eyes widening. Tears formed in her eyes as she covered her mouth. "Thank god.. Thank god he's ok!" she shouted, reaching out to Gaara. She pulled the red head off the man's back, lifting him into her arms. She held him tightly, silent tears running down her face.

"Well, lets not assume he's alright before we know it. We found him so weak he could barely stand, in fact he collapsed when we got to him. He has frostbite on his fingers and feet, it's fairly severe, it might leave a few blisters after. We need to get him warm before permanent damage is done." Stated a tall man, his dark hair pulled back with his headband.

Sakura nodded, "Thank you, I'll take care of him from here." The men smiled, "We'll come by here soon to check on him alright? Keep him healthy." With that the men walked down towards the stairwell.

Sakura walked inside, shutting the door behind her. She looked at the body in her arms, it was almost like there wasn't any life inside of him. Sakura walked to the bed, laying him down gently. His eyes were closed, he most likely lost consciousness while she grabbed him.

Sakura unclipped his vest, pulling it off his shoulders. He was covered in semi-moist mud. It crusted on his face, coming down his neck into his shirt. Sakura frowned, looking at the state of her lover. ' _How could she let him go? How could she let this happen to him.. again..?"_ she thought, slowly taking off his shirt. His clothes were soaking wet, freezing cold as well. She laid them lazily on the ground, looking at his chest.

The mud made its way under his shirt, covering his chest and stomach. What exactly happened out there? "I guess you'll need a bath, however it might be better to do it when your awake," mumbled Sakura, removing the rest of his clothes.

His clothes were soaking wet, water still dripping off them. It was best to remove them, it took some of the cold away from him. Sakura wrapped him in blankets, making sure to leave his feet and hands free. She needed to see just how bad this frostbite was.

Sakura gently grabbed his hand, looking at his fingers. ' _This.. isn't good..'_ she thought to herself. The tip of his fingers was a dark grey, slowly fading to pale by the base of his knuckles. His skin was dangerously pale, he looked malnourished as well. The ring around his bright eyes were much darker and larger then usual, his ears slightly pink at the tips.

Gaara slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the blank ceiling. His face twisted into one of confusion, he looked like he was trying to remember what room he was in. He probably was. Gaara looked up slightly to see Sakura, relief filling his body. He tried to sit up, however his body wouldn't move.

His body shook as he tried to move. "Gaara stop, you need to rest. They found you out in the middle of nowhere. You passed out when they found you. If it wasn't for them.." She hesitated, looking down at his fingers, "You would be dead."

Gaara watched her closely. He wanted to get up and hug her, he wanted to tell her that he was sorry, tell her that he loved her. He wanted to apologize for everything that he did. He felt horrible, and he didn't have the energy to tell her.

Sakura's hands glowed a bright green, hovering them over Gaara's fingers. The skin slowly started to turn a lighter grey. "I don't know how much I can heal, I'll try my best though." She looked up at him with a shy smile, trying to show him it was alright.

Gaara simply stared at her, unable to do anything. He felt the pain in his fingers start to fade away, fade into numbness. He didn't know which was worse, feeling the pain, or not feeling his fingers at all. Sakura looked down at the skin, it was still a light grey, but it would heal.

She moved over to the rest of his skin, healing it slowly. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you Gaara." Sakura looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I don't know what I would do if I lost the love of my life." Sakura bent down over him, closing the gap between them for a long kiss.

Gaara kissed her the best he could manage. His sand wrapped around her waist, pulling her down on top of him. Sakura cupped his face with her hands, the kiss growing more and more passionate. Gaara closed his eyes, his sand pressing their bodies together. He frowned slightly, not liking the blanket in between them. He felt Sakura wrapping her legs around his waist, making a small groan.

Sakura broke apart for air, leaving them in silence besides their gasps. Sakura wiped some dried dirt off her cheek, "You are a dirty boy now aren't you." She smiled slightly, picking Gaara up. Gaara smiled a small, weak smile. He leaned his head against her chest, taking a deep breath of her scent. God, he missed it.

Sakura walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Since your too weak to take a shower yourself, I'll give you a bath and help you wash. You must be cold after what happened as well." Sakura stated, laying Gaara on the ground softly. Sakura took the blanket off him, leaving him naked on the floor.

Gaara tried to cover himself, frowning. He didn't like being open like that, even if it was in front of Sakura. The only time he enjoyed it was when they were in bed. Sakura smiled, kissing his nose, earning a small noise from Gaara. "Oh calm down, its just me remember? It's not like I'm going to do anything to you." Sakura smirked, looking down at her lover.

Gaara smiled slightly, looking into her bright green eyes. He was glad to be home. Sakura started up the water, letting it heat up before she put the plug in the bath. The water ran down her hand as she felt it, waiting for it to be the right temperature. Gaara watched uncomfortably, the cold tile against his bare back. He shifted slightly, trying to flip over and sit up, however he didn't really have much strength.

Sakura looked back at him, shaking her head. "Gaara you need to relax, just let me do everything alright?" Gaara looked at her, not doing anything to reply.

Gaara listened to the water fill up, looking up at the blank, white ceiling. He sighed, how long did it take to fill a bath? "Alright, the water seems just about perfect." Sakura smiled, looking back at him. She took her hand out of the water, turning off the faucet. Water dripped from her hand as she picked him up. He could feel the warmth of her hand on his back.

Gaara looked down at the water, not to sure if he welcomed it. He wasn't really in good terms with water at the moment.

Sakura slowly laid him in the water, she could tell by the way he struggled that his skin wasn't used to the warm liquid. "Gaara just relax, you'll get used to the water soon, it's not even that hot I promise. Your skin just isn't used to it because you were out in the cold for so long." She stated calmly, trying to get him to relax.

Gaara glanced up at his lover, slowly calming down. The water stung at his skin, feeling like she was putting him in a cauldron of the hot, boiling liquid. The water got up to his chest as he sunk down into it. After the initial burning it actually felt relaxing. He sighed deeply, slowly closing his eyes. It was so _warm._

It was almost a shock to feel the warmth, to feel his body slowly heating up. He gladly welcomed the feeling, a smile spreading across his face. "You like that don't you?" Sakura questioned, looking at his expression. It didn't surprise her, speaking he was out in the cold for so long.

"It feels.. nice." Gaara choked out, his voice shot from the night before. He let out another long sigh, letting the warmth take over his body. "Well then, I'm going to wash all that mud and dirt off your body, after that I'll replace the water so its not dirty and you can relax." Sakura smiled, placing a kiss on her lover's cheek.

Gaara smiled and nodded slightly, glad to be rid of the mud. Sakura bent down next to the tub, grabbing some soap and a small towel. She dipped the towel in the water, putting some soap on the towel. She gently grabbed his arm, lifting it out of the water.

She washed in gentle circles, washing the dirt and sweat off of him. Gaara opened his eyes slightly, watching the cloth rubbing against his arm. He felt an odd feeling well up in his chest, a blush running across his face. He looked away, making sure Sakura didn't see.

The pink haired kunoichi looked up at Gaara, giggling, "I know your blushing Gaara, you don't need to hide it." She softly grabbed his chin, turning his head towards her. She looked at his pink cheeks, giggling more, "Gaara you look cute." She smiled, only succeeding on making the red head blush more. His cheeks were a dark red, the rest of his face gaining back some of its color.

Gaara sunk down farther into the water, so far it covered his mouth. He breathed through his nose, wanting to soak in the warmth of the water. Sakura shook her head and kept washing his arm. "Gaara you might want to sit up, you can relax after we clean you. Then at least the water won't be brown." She frowned, looking at the color of the water. It was a light brown color, the mud turning it murky.

Gaara didn't do anything, staying under the water. He didn't care, he was warm. Sakura groaned and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him up. Gaara looked at her, frowning. "H-hey.."

"Gaara we are here to clean you, after you can relax." Gaara sighed, nodding. He kept still as Sakura washed the crusted mud off his body.

…

The water was a dark brown by the time Sakura had finished. She pulled out the plug, letting the water drain down the bottom of the tub. "Alright, now that you are all clean let's dry you off to get all that dirty water off you, then we can refill the tub and you can take a nice bath, doesn't that sound good?"

Gaara nodded, "That sounds great." He attempted to lift himself out of the tub, his arms shaking under his weight. "Gaara stop, your going to hurt yourself." Sakura grabbed him, pulling him to his feet. She held his arm around her neck, holing onto his waist. Gaara shifted in her arms, "S-sorry.." he mumbled, looking at the tub.

The water had emptied, leaving the white tub with specks of dirt and drops of water. Sakura grabbed a cup, rinsing out the rest of the tub. The mixture of clear and brown water ran down the drain, trickling into the pipes. "Alright, now you can take a nice, hot bath." Gaara smiled slightly, a blush spreading across his face. He turned his head and nodded, "T-thank you."

Sakura turned to the red head, confused as to why he turned away, "What's wrong Gaara?" she asked? Gaara grunted, as if surprised, "N-nothing I'm fine!" He stuttered, looking at the floor, his eyes wandering. His blush grew as she looked at him, making her wonder what he was thinking. "What is it Gaara? You can tell me anything."

Gaara looked up at her nervously. "W-will.. you…" he hesitated, "J-join me?"

Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek, taking off her shirt, "Of course."

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Please R &R**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 is out!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, this is just for fun.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Sakura held the young Kazekage in her arms. He was fast asleep, leaning against her chest. She smiled slightly, moving a strand of his hair out of his face. Water dripped down his red locks, around his eyes and dripping off his chin. He took a deep breath, wiggling closer to the pink haired kunoichi. Water glistened in his hair, reflecting some of the light, making it sparkle. ' _Better get you to bed, you've had a rough night.'_ Sakura thought, carefully lifting the red head out of the tub.

She stepped out onto the cold, white tile, holding Gaara in her arms. She grabbed one of the plain white towels, wrapping one around herself, another around her lover. Gaara shifted slightly, making small noises. It made Sakura wonder what he dreamed about, if he even had dreams. Could he have dreams? She didn't quite know. It was hard to get him to sleep at times, at times being when he was working.

Sakura dried the two of them off, carefully bringing the red head to the bed. She laid him down gently, walking to the dresser to pick out pajamas for the two of them. There were plenty of choices for her, however Gaara didn't have as much of a variety. All he ever wore to bed was a plain white T-shirt with soft black pants. An idea popped into the kunoichi's head, making her smile a wide grin.

Sakura picked out a pink, bunny onesie, her smile only growing. She grabbed some blue bottoms and put them on, slipping on a light pink T-shirt. She looked back at Gaara, his underwear thrown lazily on the ground. Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled, grabbing some underwear for him.

She walked over to his sleeping body, slowly putting the underwear on him, trying not to wake him up. Luckily he didn't move which surprised her, he was usually a light sleeper.

Next was the pink bunny onesie. She slowly slid it on him, pulling it over his arms. The back of it had a hoodie with little pink ears that drooped down the sides. She zipped up the front, looking at what she had just done. There lay the fearsome sand demon, in a pink bunny onesie. He didn't seem to mind it either.

Gaara rolled on his side, wrapping his arms and legs around one of his blankets. Sakura kept smiling, ' _He's so cute!'_ she thought, her inner Sakura telling her to dress him up more.

Sakura shook her head, walking to the bed, crawling in behind Gaara. She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him close. He slowly turned over, letting out a tired, groggily sigh. He nuzzled his head into her chest, wrapping his leg around hers. Sakura kissed his pale head, running her fingers through his soft hair.

Sakura wiggled down farther into the sheets, pulling Gaara down with her. She felt him hold onto her shirt, looking down to see his hands gripping her pink T-shirt tightly. A smile spread across her face, he did remind her of a child at times. The way he acted tough and cold, but then in reality was broken… lost.

He was different before she met him. He was cold, heartless. His thoughts never consisted of love, only of hatred. He never cared for others, he never cared about anything around him. He only cared for himself. Sakura watched his calm features. She watched his forehead crease slightly, relaxing soon after. She watched as his mouth made a small opening as he breathed, his chest moving up and down. He was peaceful. Peaceful.. it was a rare thing for him. Most times when he slept he was haunted with nightmares. He would go weeks without sleeping. Weeks without anything to keep him going. The only thing that stopped him was when he dropped from exhaustion.

Sakura watched the calm body next to her. She looked at his handsome features. She glanced at his shaded eyes, the black rings that traced around them. She ran her finger over one of the rings, her fingers slowly moving down to his lips.

His lips were soft. They felt like silk. All of his skin was soft, surprisingly soft. His hands were strong yet gentle. He always paid attention to what he did. He always paid attention to how she reacted. It made sense to her, speaking he didn't want to do something she didn't like.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she pulled the Kazekage closer to her. She felt him nuzzle himself as close as he possibly could, gripping her shirt. She wanted to smile, however she couldn't find it in her to. Her mind started wondering, wondering to the fight they had. It was her fault he was like this, it was her fault he ran out. She always forgot that he was sensitive to things like fighting. He could never deal with anger easily.

She sighed, watching over her lover. She watched for minutes, minutes eventually turning into hours. She watched over him, watching to make sure he was safe. She would never make such a huge mistake again. She was determined to keep him safe, keep him safe from whoever wanted to kill him.

…

Gaara opened his eyes. He felt something being pressed against his cheek. It was soft, feeling like a pillow. His vision cleared and he realized what he was laying on. His head was resting on Sakura's breast, all she had on was a bra, her shirt thrown on the ground. He gave out a loud yawn, laying his head back down on her breast. Sakura grumbled in her sleep, wrapping her arms tightly around Gaara.

He jumped slightly, not expecting the sudden contact. She wrapped her arms around his, pinning his arms to his side. He shifted slightly, flipping over so his back was against her. He wanted to know if he could get out. A cough escaped his mouth when she tightened her grip, wrapping both her legs around him as well. He was stuck there, and there was nothing he could do about it.

It wasn't until then that Gaara noticed what he was wearing. He looked at the pink fabric that incased his body, his eyes narrowing. She took advantage of him while he was asleep.. again. His lovers hands traced his chest through the fabric, running up and down his stomach. Chills ran up his spine at the sensation, making him shake slightly.

Her hands snaked their way up to the zipper, slowly pulling it down. Gaara watched anxiously, shifting every now and then. She slid the zipper open to reveal his chest, sliding her hands inside of the fabric. "We never get to do this enough," she whispered, her lips rubbing against his neck. Gaara looked back, looking into her eyes. She was awake, looking up at him.

Her hands slowly slid the fabric off his shoulders, pulling them down his chest. He took a deep breath as he felt her hands move up to his neck. They started to rub his sweet spot, producing a small moan from Gaara. He clenched his eyes shut, biting his lip to stop him from making a sound.

"What's wrong Gaara.. you seem more shy then usual." Sakura mumbled, looking at her lover's red locks. Gaara looked down, hesitating, "I thought.. I thought you would be mad at me.. I thought.." He paused, trying to think of the words, "I thought.. you wouldn't want to be around me.. because I lied to you." He felt his breath hitch in his throat, waiting for some sort of reply.

Sakura smiled slightly, kissing the back of his neck. "Gaara, I'll always want to be with you, I mean you are my husband. It's my job to keep you safe and I'm going to do that. I'm not mad either, I just wish you would tell me these things instead of trying to take them on by yourself. I'm here for a reason. So please, please don't hide things from me. I love you with all my heart and I just want you to be safe."

Gaara glanced back at Sakura, a confused look plastered on his face. "Why.. why aren't you mad.." he whispered, looking into her eyes. Sakura gave another small smile, kissing his cheek, "Because I love you, and I could never be mad at you."

Gaara felt a feeling well up in his chest. He smiled slightly, laying his head back against Sakura's chest. "I love you more."

Sakura poked his cheek and gave a wide smile, "Prove it."

…

Sakura sat up, unpinning the red head from the bed, "Did I win?" She questioned, looking down at the panting Kazekage. Gaara nodded slightly, slowly wiping his mouth. Sakura smiled victoriously, looking down at her lover.

Sakura got up, grabbing her bra off the ground. She slid the straps over her head, putting on the piece of clothing. "Are you going to get dressed Gaara?" Sakura questioned, looking back at Gaara, who was only in underwear. Gaara only replied with a groan, making Sakura smile.

Sakura slipped on a white gown. It draped down to her feet, skimming the ground. She stretched her arms, letting out a yawn.

There was a feint tapping on the window behind them, causing them both to look back. Sakura walked to the window, looking around for what could've made the sound. She slowly slid the window open, letting out a shriek when a hawk flew in and landed on Gaara's shoulder. He tensed up, the bird's claws digging into his skin.

His sand shot out of his gourd but he forced it down. The hawk only tug it's claws in deeper at the action. Blood ran down his shoulder from its claws. Sakura ran over and tried to grab the hawk however was stopped. Gaara looked at her, wincing, "It's a me-messenger hawk.. I-its still.. y-young so it d-doesn't know what it's doing. Don't h-harm it.." He choked out.

Sakura looked at it, gently taking it off Gaara's shoulder. A tan paper was attached to its leg with a thread. Sakura untied the piece of paper, walking over to the window. She put the hawk down on the window frame, stepping back when it jumped and flied off.

Gaara got up and walked to the bathroom. He grabbed a towel and pressed it against the small wound. "Those talons are sharper then they look," he grumbled, the blood soaking into the towel. Sakura gave him a sheepish smile, "Yeah, here let me heal you."

Sakura traced her hands over the wound, the bright glow emitting from her hands. The wound slowly closed, all the blood that was coming out of it drying, flaking off. Gaara watched silently, grabbing the paper that was rolled up on the bed. He looked down at it and unraveled it, reading over the paper. He gave out a long sigh.

"What is it Gaara?" Sakura asked, looking down at him. She bandaged what was left of the wound, being extra careful. Gaara shifted his shoulder, rubbing over the bandaging. "It's the meeting, it starts here in about an hour."

Sakura sighed, "Am I allowed to come with you?" Gaara glanced back at her, giving a small nod. "Speaking of the events that have been happening lately I'd say it would be best for you to come. I was supposed to bring a guard on this mission but I chose you instead. I know you can protect me better then any guard could." He stated flatly, looking back down at the note.

Sakura kissed his head, "Alright then. Get dressed so we can go eat before the meeting. We'll have time to come back so you won't need your robes yet."

Sakura sighed and took off her gown, grabbing her regular clothes. She put on the red top and black bottoms, looking back at Gaara.

He sighed and got up, walking to his dresser. He grabbed his regular dark red robe, putting it on. He grabbed his black pants, sliding it up his legs. The fabric clung to his body like glue. "Alright, lets go."

…

Gaara walked out of the small diner, looking at the time. "We need to get going, it starts in fifteen minutes." Sakura sighed and nodded, "Well, at least then it will be over with. After the meeting we can finally go home. Aren't you excited?"

Gaara looked at her, giving a slight nod. He actually was excited to go home. He wanted to be far away from this damn island, he wanted to be far away from any sort of ocean, river, or even rain. He hated it all.

Gaara started walking towards the meeting place. They were meeting in a large building in the center of the town. It was almost larger then the Kazekage building back in Suna. Sakura followed behind him, grabbing his hand, "Gaara don't you need your robes?"

As if on cue Gaara's sand wrapped around, then fell to the ground. Left behind was his 'Kazekage' robe and hat. Sakura rolled her eyes, "Well that made things a lot easier." She pulled Gaara to her, kissing his cheek. Gaara smiled and kissed her on the lips, earning questioning glances from people around him.

He took a deep breath and kept walking. The building was hard to miss, it stood out in the middle of the village. It was huge, almost larger then the Kazekage building back in Suna. It was definitely taller then it as well. Red doors marked the entrance of the building, there were barely any windows as well.

Gaara looked at the building, walking up to the doors. He grabbed the handle and swung it open, holding it open for Sakura. Sakura smiled and walked in before Gaara shut the door behind them. They walked down the hall, a tan carpet leading up to the stairs. Everything was silent, to silent.

They started walking up the stairs, looking up as they spiraled to the top floor. He gave out a long sigh, eventually reaching the third floor.

He walked down the long hallway until he was met with large, brown doors. He grabbed the handles and slowly opened them, greeted by a table full of people. "Lord Kazekage, welcome to the meeting. We can now begin. Please, take your seat." The man gestured towards a chair marked with the 'Kazekage' symbol.

Gaara walked towards the chair, sitting down and resting his head on his hands. Sakura stood behind him, watching over the table. It wasn't then until Gaara noticed that the leader of the small village wasn't there. He looked around for a moment before asking, "Shouldn't the village leader be here for the signing?"

"She will be here shortly, she had to bring some papers to our jounins." A man stated, looking at Gaara flatly. Gaara gave a small nod.

There was a knock at the door shortly after, "Ah, she's here."

Gaara glanced at the door as it slowly opened. His eyes widened as he saw who it was. Behind the door was Akari Akiyama, staring at Gaara with a wide smile plastered on her face.

Gaara stared at her, his eyes wide. He felt his hands starting to shake as she stepped closer to the table. Sakura put her hand on Gaara's shoulder. She tried to relax, however her heart was pounding. ' _What is she doing here?! She's the leader of the village?!'_ her inner self screamed.

Gaara gulped and looked down, not wanting to pull any unwanted attention to himself. His mind was racing, ' _why.. why is she here. She tried to kill me!'_ he felt his sand start to come out of his gourd, however it fell to the ground. He felt another hand on his shoulder, causing him to look over. Akari had her hand gripping his robes, her smile turning into a frown. He cleared his throat and mumbled, "W-welcome to the meeting."

Akari pulled the chair next to Gaara out, sitting down. "It's my pleasure.. Lord Kazekage." She tapped her fingers on the table and sighed, "Let's get started."

Gaara took a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with Akari, "I was brought here have a peace treaty signed, we do not want a war back in the sand. We would rather have allies instead of enemies. I'd like to bring peace to both of our lands, to help and support each other in battle." He cleared his throat, "In this meeting I'd like to discuss special requests of both of our villages in order to create a bond between us."

Akari sighed and shook her head, "Understood."

…

The meeting went on for more then an hour, each second was driving Gaara insane. So many questions were pounding in his skull. He tried to push them away, but something was bothering him. Why did his sand suddenly drop? He never commanded it to, so why? The sand itself wasn't wet, so he could use it. And he personally was dry. He took a deep breath, looking up at the people surrounding him.

"I'd like to discuss the special requests, now that we have talked about the peace treaty. There are a few requests that my village ha-" "I'm sorry Lord Kazekage," Akari cut in, looking over at him. "But this meeting will have to be cut short. Sadly.. we have to say goodbye."

Gaara looked at Akari, a mix of confusion and concern filling his body. She gave him a sick smile, the room starting to shake. Gaara grabbed onto the table as if it would support him. "Your not getting out of this one, Lord Kazekage." Akari smiled. The people around them suddenly disappeared, all except Sakura and Akari.

Gaara stood up, hearing a cracking coming from the ceiling. He commanded his sand to support the crack, however nothing happened. He looked down at his gourd, his eyes widening when it broke apart and fell to the ground. Sakura grabbed Gaara's hand, "We need to get out of here, the place is going to collapse!" she shouted, trying to make it so Gaara could hear her over the rumbling.

Akari laughed, looking at the couple, "Good luck!" she smiled sickly, disappearing as well.

Gaara grabbed Sakura's arm, starting to run out of the room. The shaking got worse and worse by the second, like an earthquake had gone off. A piece of the ceiling gave way and almost crushed the couple. Gaara pulled Sakura out of the way. He ran down the hallway, sprinting as fast as he could.

He got to the stairway, taking a step onto the first stair. The stair crumbled under him, the rest of the stairs collapsing as well. Gaara fell with the step, only caught by Sakura's hands. He looked up as Sakura pulled him up out of danger. Well, not _out_ of danger.

"Hurry and jump down while you can!" Gaara shouted, looking at the drop below. Sakura looked at him, "No, you need to go first!"

Gaara shook his head no, "This is no time for arguing! Hurry and just jump!"

Sakura looked at him, frowning. She jumped down, bracing herself before she hit the bottom. She landed and rolled, looking up and Gaara.

Gaara looked down at the drop. Usually he would have his sand carry him down, however he couldn't control his sand. He prepared to jump, looking down at Sakura. He took a deep breath, ' _one.. two..th-'_ his thoughts were cut off when he heard screaming. He looked back, seeing a closed door.

He ran towards it, his body moving before his mind got the chance to think. He fumbled with the handle, however it wouldn't budge. He heard pounding from the other side, what sounded like children screaming from the inside.

"Back away from the door! I'm going to knock it down!" Gaara shouted, the pounding inside stopping. Gaara stepped back and kicked the door, nothing. He kicked it again, nothing.

He took a deep breath, stepping back before kicking it at full force. The hinges broke, his foot denting the door. He kicked one more time, the door coming off its hinges, falling to the ground. Inside were two children, looking to be no older than eight, crying.

Gaara ran to them, "Are any of you hurt?!" he shouted, inspecting them for injuries. Both shook their head no, clinging onto the young Kazekage. Gaara wrapped his arms around both of them, picking them up. He turned around, a piece of the ceiling collapsing, landing right in front of him. He gasped slightly, his heart pounding. He needed to be fast, but he still needed to be careful. He ran around the giant slab, running back into the hallway. "Are there any others?!" He shouted, looking at the children. They shook their heads no, clinging onto the red head for dear life.

Gaara bolted down the hallway, running as fast as he could as well as dodging chunks of the ceiling. The shaking got worse and worse, so bad he could barely keep his footing. He slowed down, stumbling as he tripped over a crack. He got to the stairwell, seeing a panicked Sakura at the bottom.

She looked up at him, relief washing over her body. "Jump down! Hurry!" She screamed. Gaara stepped back, running and jumping over the edge. He fell three stories before hitting the ground. His legs felt like they snapped in half, however he forced himself to stand. "Run! This place is going to collapse any second!" he screamed.

Sakura nodded and started running towards the exit, Gaara following far behind her. They ran down the long hallway, the walls crumbling beside them. Gaara looked at the walls, then at the ceiling. The ceiling was cracking above him. He closed his eyes for a split second, tripping over a fragment.

Gaara crashed into ground, holding onto the children tightly. He looked up at Sakura, seeing she was still running. He tried to get up but fell back down when a large tremor shook the building. The ceiling crashed down around him, blocking him off. Gaara looked up, hearing a loud crash. The ceiling collapsed along with the entire building, crashing down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around the children and braced for the impact.

…

Sakura ran out of the building, gasping. "Thank god we made it." She mumbled, wiping the sweat off her face. She turned around, "What even ha-…" she stopped when she saw the building, it was only a massive pile of rubble. Her heart sank, panic filling her body when she saw Gaara wasn't beside her. "Gaara.. Gaara!" She screamed, running back to the pile. She looked around, trying to sense his chakra, however she didn't sense anything.

Tears ran down her face as she started to dig through the pile. Her body ached and burned, telling her to stop, telling her to rest, however she kept pushing. People ran towards her, crowds forming around the building. People cried out for help, shinobi running towards the pile.

Sakura felt hands grab her. She squirmed and thrashed around, needing to find Gaara. "Stop! Let me go!" she screamed. "Please miss Sakura, you need to rest! You just got out of a collapsing building!" A man shouted, holding onto her. Sakura relaxed, tears running down her face. "You don't understand, Gaara is in there.. Gaara is under this pile!"

The man's grip around her arms loosened, "Lord Kazekage is in there?" he asked calmly, slowly letting go of Sakura. She nodded, tears running down her face. "Alright stay calm, we have rescue teams that will be here shortly. They will find Lord Kazekage, you can help them when they come."

Sakura looked at the rubble, nodding, "Thank you.." she mumbled. She started to lift some of the remains. She searched slowly, trying to stay as calm as she could.

…

Gaara slowly opened his eyes, coughing slightly. He felt a wetness on his chest, however he couldn't see anything. He groaned, looking around in the darkness. He heard small gasps, something trembling on his chest. He slowly reached down, feeling two small figures cuddled next to him. ' _The children.. they are safe..'_ he thought. "Are you guys alright?" Gaara mumbled, rubbing what he supposed to be their backs. They nodded slightly, "W-were f-fine.. b-but.." The kids stopped. Gaara took a small breath, smelling blood. Panic filled his body, "What happened to you guys? Who is hurt?" he asked, trying to sound relaxed.

The kids looked up at him, seeing nothing. "W-we are fine..I-its…" The young boy hesitated, "Its you.." Gaara relaxed slightly when he heard it wasn't them, however the last part didn't quite register until moments after. "W-what happened to me?" He asked. He couldn't feel anything below his waist. He reached out, feeling a large chunk of concrete on his legs.

He gulped as he lowered his hands, feeling a wetness skim across his fingers. He paused momentarily, feeling the moisture through his fingers. He brought the liquid up to his face, a strong smell of iron coming from his fingers. ' _blood'_ he thought, looking into the dark void. The blood soaked into his clothes, turning them a darker shade of red. It mixed with his sweat and the dirt covering his body.

Gaara's mind raced as he tried to keep calm. If someone didn't find them.. and fast.. he would bleed out and die. "I don't want to die.." one of the boys mumbled. He could hear the soft sniffles of the child as he buried his head in Gaara's chest. Small hands clung to his shirt tightly, small spasms of shakes running through the young child's body.

Gaara felt his heart pounding in his chest. He tried to relax so he wouldn't take up oxygen, "Alright.." He cleared his throat, trying to sound calm, "I need you guys to breathe slowly, be completely calm. We don't want to use any more oxygen then what we have in here alright?"

The boys slowly nodded, gripping Gaara's shirt for dear life. He heard sniffles in the dark. He rubbed their backs, trying to soothe them. "Its alright, just stay calm. We will be rescued here soon." He whispered. He rested his head on a piece of concrete, slowly closing his eyes. He held the children close to him, rubbing their backs. It wasn't long until they passed out on his chest. Soon after he felt himself drift away into unconsciousness.

…

Sakura dug through the pile, dozens of other shinobi digging around her. She lifted piece after piece, searching for her lover. Each piece seemed heavier and heavier. Sweat beaded on her forehead, running down her face. It mixed with dirt and dust on her body, soaking into her shirt. She cursed herself, cursed herself for leaving him behind. She wished she was the one under the pile, she wished she was the one in danger.

' _why.. why is it always him. First the boat, then the forest, and now this building. It's always him. I don't understand..'_ she thought to herself. Her thoughts made her mind ache, torturing herself internally. "Anything?" She asked, her voice shaking. She was desperate to find him, to find the two children he saved.

"Not yet, we need to be careful the farther down we dig. If we make a wrong move.." The man hesitated, "That's.. if they are even alive.. the air hole they could be in would collapse, crushing them."

Sakura gave a small nod, trying not to have a panic attack. What if he wasn't alive? What if he got crushed when it fell? What if he's running out of oxygen and suffocates? The questions were poison to her, burning away at her heart. Her chest ached, her heart feeling as if it was dead. She lifted slab after slab, searching.

The sun was high up in the sky, beaming down on the rescuers like a torch. The heat was almost unbearable. People watched from a distance, unable to help. The pile seemed like a mountain, which it pretty much was.

Beads of sweat dripped down Sakura's face, getting into her eyes. They burned from the salt, causing her to cover her eyes. She wiped her forehead, shaking her head before looking back down at the pile. Time was ticking, precious time. If they didn't find him soon, who knows what could happen.

…

The hours passed slowly, the pile of rubble getting smaller and smaller. ' _where is he?'_ Sakura thought. She was starting to lose hope, but she couldn't stop digging. She had to find him.. and pray that he was alive. A single tear rolled down her face, burning a trail down her cheek. She wiped away the small tear, she didn't have time to cry. _He_ didn't have time.

Sakura took a deep breath, looking down at what was left of the rubble. They had reduced the size of the pile into a fraction of what it used to be, however there was still plenty of places he could be. All they could do was keep digging, keep digging and pray.

It was seeming hopeless, like there was no chance. She started to think that he was too far gone. The sun was setting behind her, the yellow rays slowly starting to disappear. Shadows were cast upon the pile, as if a sign to stop, however she couldn't. She wouldn't stop until she knew he was safe.

She removed a large boulder seeming slab, feeling some sort of liquid run onto her hand. She looked down to see the slab under it was covered in a dark, crimson liquid. ' _blood'_ she thought. Panic started to run through her body as she attempted to lift the slab under her. "I found something! I need help!" She screamed, desperate to see what was underneath.

Shinobi ran over to her, grabbing onto the slab in a desperate attempt to remove it. "Alright on three!" A man shouted, looking at the slab. People surrounded it, grabbing onto different ends of the piece of concrete. "One! Two! Three!"

Everyone lifted with all their power, slowly moving the concrete off what it was hiding. They slid it off the pile, letting it tumble to the bottom. Sakura looked inside, her heart mixing with joy and fear. Underneath the slab was her lover, however he was covered in blood. His face was covered in scrapes and cuts, his eyes closed. His shirt was tattered and torn, almost ripped off of his body. His white robe was dyed red from the blood that was leaking from his legs. In his arms were two children, curled up in a ball, holding onto each other. They seemed to be unharmed besides small scratches on their bodies. It was Gaara she was worried about. There was a large brick of cement on his legs, blood seeping in the cavern from the crack. His legs were bloody and disfigured, crushed under the pressure of the pile.

The young boys opened their eyes, blinded by the light. They covered their faces, tears starting to form in their eyes. Shinobi reached in and gently grabbed them, lifting them out of the pit of hell. They cried into their rescuer's chest, weakly holding onto their vests. "Thank you.. thank you s-so much." One mumbled, slowly looking back towards the young Kazekage.

"Will he be alright..?" the boy asked. The rest of the rescuers worked on freeing his legs, lifting the heavy chunk off of them. The underside of the piece was covered in blood, his legs looking shattered. They almost didn't look like legs anymore. Sakura slowly lifted him out of the air pocket, holding him in her arms. Tears ran down her face as she looked at the state of her lover.

"We need to get him to a hospital." She mumbled, looking back at the rescuer. They nodded, one of the men pulling out a scroll. They casted a hand sign, putting their hand on a symbol in the scroll. There was a puff of smoke, a stretcher appearing in front of them. Sakura laid him gently down on top of it, strapping him down to the stretcher. She attached wires and tubes to his body, checking his pulse. "58" she mumbled, "58 beats per minute. We need to hurry."

Sakura grabbed the stretcher, rushing towards the closest hospital. She looked down at his body, how horrible and disfigured it seemed. Guilt spread through her, tearing her apart limb from limb. She couldn't do anything to save him, she couldn't turn back time, however she wished she could. All she could do now was try.. try to heal him.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading, I want to thank all of my reviewers, it means a lot to have you guys reading and giving me tips. If there is any recommendations, leave them in the reviews!**

 **Please R &R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to update, I needed time to plan out what I'm going to do in further chapters. I have an idea I'm just trying to figure out how to get it done. If I don't post weekly it's because I'm trying to make these next chapters work. Thank you for waiting though!**

 **I have to be honest I cried typing this chapter ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I make no profit off of this, this is just for fun.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The bright lights of the hospital room were the only thing illuminating the scene in the darkness. Sakura screamed as she held the broken body in her arms. She screamed, but nobody could hear her. Her screams seemed to be silenced through the tension, as if she wasn't making any noise at all. Her body trembled with fear, tears running down her face.

She tried to scream for help, however nobody came. Doctors walked passed the small room as if nothing was happening. Nobody seemed to notice her plea, her desperate cry for help. She rocked back and forth on the small bed, holding her broken lover in her arms. She looked down at his beaten face. Blood ran down his forehead from his hairline, running past his 'love' tattoo. Multiple cuts leaked blood that mixed with the dirt and sweat on his face.

He looked up at her with dull eyes, as if begging for help. Blood slowly dripped out of his mouth, dripping down his chin. Sakura's tears dropped onto his cheeks, shimmering before disappearing forever. "Please.. don't go.." Sakura cried, her voice shaking. The red head looked into her eyes, the life starting to fade from his own jade, pupiless eyes.

"You.. couldn't save me.." he choked out, looking up at the pink haired kunoichi. More blood came out of his mouth as he talked. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked at her lover. "I tried.. I tried so hard. Stay with me.. please.. I need you to stay with me so I can save you." She whispered, tears running down her face.

"It's already.. to late.." Gaara choked out, "Its all.. your fault." He spat, any emotion that was left in his eyes slowly turning to hatred. Sakura's heart shattered, feeling as if someone stabbed her through her chest and yanked out her heart. "I'm so sorry.. Please just stay.."

Her world was falling apart. It was breaking at the seams, being torn to shreds right in front of her eyes. She watched as his eyelids started to close. She watched as his body went limp. "no.. no, no, No, No, No!" she screamed, shaking him. She couldn't let him go. She couldn't sit there, being useless, watching him die. She laid him down on the bed, starting to do CPR.

A loud ringing sound filled the room as the heart monitor went flat. Sakura casted a lightning release, pressing her hands on Gaara's chest. His body jolted as a shock wave spread through his body. The ringing continued to fill the room, continued to ring in Sakura's head. Another shock went through his body. She watched as his chest jolted up, then fell back down. His head slowly fell to the side as his last breath escaped his lips. He was gone…

Sakura screamed, all her emotions flooding out of her body. Tears poured down her face as she grabbed her lover's body. She held him tightly, holding him close like he would always ask for.. always when he was scared. She wrapped her arms behind the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his dark red hair. Despair and anguish filled her body. She rested her head on his chest, crying into his shirt.

She clung desperately onto his body. She clung to him, trying to convince herself it wasn't real. She tried to convince herself that it wasn't real, that she wasn't watching the only person she cared about die. "I'm sorry.." it was the only thing she could choke out.. the only thing that was on her mind.. ' _I'm sorry…'_

…

Sakura woke up in a cold sweat, the only thing she could hear was her own sobbing. The room was dark, making it hard to distinguish where she was. She looked around the room, her vision blurred through her tears. Small gasps escaped her lips as she tried to process what happened. She rested her head in her palms, silently crying.

Her body shook in small spasms, her palms wet from her tears. "I lost him.. I let him die.." She whispered, more tears stinging at her eyes. "I let him die.. and I didn't even get to say goodbye.."

Sakura sobbed, her mind barely processing the small beeping sounds that filled the room. The scene haunted her mind, the way he looked at her. The way that he pleaded for help. His eyes said it all. He was scared. "It's all my fault.. Its all.. my fault.." She sobbed.

' _Beep…. Beep…. Beep….'_ The heart monitor seemed to get louder and louder, pounding in her skull. ' _The heart monitor…'_ Sakura thought, suddenly shooting up from her chair. She ran over to Gaara's bed, looking down to the sleeping figure resting on the bed.

The red head had his eyes closed, tubes and wires connected to his entire body. His legs were covered in casts, suspended above his chest in a hammock type sling. His chest was covered in white wraps and bandages, wires running under the wraps and connecting to his chest. His neck was supported by a neck brace. The brace cupped his chin, moving down slightly onto his chest. A metal tube piece was in his mouth, the tube running down his throat. Smaller, plastic tubes went in his nose, pumping oxygen through them.

Sakura looked at the state of her lover, both relief and sadness crossing her mind. She was relieved he was still alive but felt anguish about his state. ' _This entire trip was just supposed to last a few days. It was supposed to be kinda like a vacation.. but look at where that's gotten us.."_ she thought, watching his sleeping figure.

Gaara laid still, unable to move from his position. He rested in a deep slumber, unable to be awoken even with an earthquake. She watched his chest slightly move up and down, staring at it. She would watch him forever if it meant knowing he was alive.

The young Kazekage's features slowly mixed into one of despair. A harsh breath escaped his lips, causing him to cough slightly. He let out a quiet, choked sob. Sakura watched him, frowning. He was having one of his nightmares..

Her hand slowly made its way towards his red locks, stroking them gently. His hair was somehow still soft. The dirt, sweat, and blood had been cleaned from his body and hair. She ran her hand down his cheek, leaning over the bed. She laid a small kiss on his forehead, right next to his 'love' tattoo. His breathing slowly started to calm down, as if he knew he was safe.

His expression melted into one at peace. Sakura smiled slightly, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her lip still quivered from the nightmare. It all felt.. so real. She forced a small smile, trying to reassure herself that everything was going to be fine.

' _Everything_ was going to be fine' she told herself, however she knew that this wasn't 'fine'. None of this was fine, everything he went through was all because of this damn trip. If she had insisted on not going then he wouldn't be in this state.

' _Why is this happening to us? We didn't do anything wrong.. He didn't do anything wrong..'_ she thought. Why was this happening? How could she make it stop?

Sakura glanced at his small gourd rested against the plain, white wall. She walked over to it and picked it up, uncapping it. She poured some of the sand out, looking at it. Specs of sand rose in the air, circling around her small figure. She smiled slightly, looking at the small pieces of sand. They always seemed to be alive. They acted on their own, like they had their own soul.

A thought came to mind and she frowned. How come his sand didn't protect him from the building? Usually he would have no problem with things like that, his sand would block everything that might hurt him. She started pondering on the thought. Now that she actually thought about it, his sand dropped right as Akari touched him. That has to have _something_ to do with it.

' _She must have some sort of ability to take his sand away somehow.'_ She thought, looking at the specs of sand. They made a small hiss as they ran across the ground. Chunks flowed back into his gourd, the rest swirling around the pink haired kunoichi. She watched in silence, admiring the small pieces of sand.

Sakura sighed deeply, looking back at her lover. ' _It's all your fault..'_

His words echoed in her mind, however she knew it was just a dream. She couldn't help but feel as if it was her fault. It _was_ her fault that he was here, stuck in bed. She stood slowly, walking over to the side of his bed. He was supposed to wake up tomorrow. The other medics had come back with results from x-rays earlier. His legs were completely shattered, pieces of his bone penetrating the skin.

Sakura and the medics had done a surgery, trying to put his legs back together. Thanks to Sakura's healing jutsu's they managed to get his legs in a some-what working order. It took hours of operation but she put his bones back where they are supposed to be and healed them. All that was left was a few days of rest.

The casts on his legs were for safety, so he didn't accidently hurt himself again. He had multiple deep cuts on his body, most she was able to heal with her healing jutsu's but others she had to stitch. Sakura pulled a chair next to her lover, sitting down so she was able to watch him. She watched his features as he slept, listening to the beeping of the heart monitor. At least she knew he was safe.

…

Gaara slowly opened his eyes, blinded by the bright lights of the hospital. He shut his eyes in reaction. His mouth felt dry and parched, causing him to cough slightly.

Sakura shot up from her chair, hovering over his body, "Gaara?" She whispered quietly. She didn't know if he was awake or if he was still unconscious. Gaara let out a small, "hn.." In reply. He couldn't quite talk with all the equipment in his mouth. He attempted to look over at her, his head barely moving due to the neck brace. "W-wha..t.." He asked quietly. He couldn't really make the 'T' sound due to tubes.

Sakura put her finger to her lip, "Just rest Gaara, we are at the hospital right now. You got pretty banged up with the fall and the building crashing on top of you. We did a surgery to fix your legs, you should be all healed up here in a day or two." She gave a soft smile, "Normally a person would have to be here a few weeks, however your body is healing at an unbelievable rate."

Gaara stared at his lover, giving a slight, almost unnoticeable nod. "H-how l-long.." He stuttered. Sakura rubbed her head, assuming he meant how long he was asleep. She gave it some thought, counting the days, "You've been here for.. five days.. not including today." She nodded, watching for some sort of reaction from the red head.

Gaara let out a groan, five days was _way_ to long. It was five days that he could've been finding that damn 'Akari' girl. He cursed himself mentally for falling for such a trick. He should've been smarter! He was going to murder that woman the next time he saw her.

Sakura watched as his expressions changed from confusion, to anger, to pure hatred. She shook her head, "Gaara, don't worry about it ok? Once your better we can come up with a plan to defeat her. I noticed that when she touched you during the meeting your sand suddenly dropped, like she took away your abilities somehow." She slowly leaned down and gave him a small kiss on his forehead. He looked up at her with tired eyes, giving a small smile. He was honestly too tired to think about it.

It was strange, he was asleep for days yet he still felt like he was going to fall asleep. "I hate hospitals." He grumbled, still struggling to talk. Sakura sighed and nodded, "I know Gaara, you tell me every time we go to get a simple check up." She rolled her eyes, standing next to her lover. Gaara looked up at her, giving an 'I don't want to be here' type look.

Sakura only rubbed her forehead, shaking her head. "Your so stubborn sometimes you know." She sighed again, giving him a soft smile. "But I still love you, and I always will." Sakura sat back down in the chair that she originally got for herself. She yawned loudly, covering her mouth as she did so.

"How long.. have you been awake.." Gaara mumbled, trying to get a good look at his lover. He failed at doing so due to the neck brace. The pink haired kunoichi gave it some thought, "Well, I was asleep for.. maybe two hours last night? But other than that I haven't slept since we got here." She quietly counted the days since the accident, nodding at her statement.

Gaara's look turned to worry as he attempted to look at his wife. "You need to rest Sakura." He whispered, his voice seeming to disappear. She gave him a frown and shook her head no in reply. "I'm not going to rest until your better.. I can't let any more accidents happen."

Gaara rolled his eyes, remembering that he could still move his arms. He smiled slightly and glanced towards Sakura's direction before slowly moving his arms up towards his neck brace. His hands skimmed the cold plastic on the outside. He grabbed it firmly, trying to break it. Sakura looked at him and almost jumped out of her seat, quickly standing and stopping him. "Gaara what are you doing?" She almost yelled, trying to get the red head to let go. She pulled on his arms, however tried not to hurt him.

"J-just let me take this thing off! I don't _need_ it!" he grunted, trying to hold onto the cast. Sakura shook her head no, "Your so stubborn Gaara! You didn't _break_ your neck but you sure put a lot of stress on it!" She shouted, not realizing how loud she was being. Gaara glared up at her, trying to scare her off. His tactic didn't seem to work when she yanked his hands off of the cast, pinning them down to his sides. "Don't make me tie you down because you know I will." She hissed, looking down at the angry red head.

Gaara did nothing but glare at her, glaring daggers into her soul. Sakura looked at his expression, a small bit of her heart aching over it. The dream she had came back to her thoughts, making her look down. Gaara's expression never changed, however he started to regret glaring at her. It made his heart hurt, she looked bothered by something.

"Please Gaara, please just rest for me." She whispered quietly. He did nothing but sigh, slowly closing his eyes. Part of him wanted to apologize but part of him told him to stay silent.

…

Gaara watched as the medics slowly broke off his casts. The neck brace was first to go. It was tossed on the ground lazily, making a quiet ' _thunk'._ A groan escaped his lips as he was finally able to move. The doctors started to break off his leg casts, ripping the hardened material off his leg. Gaara watched anxiously, he wanted to get up and walk again, he hated resting.

One after the other, the casts fell to the ground. His legs were covered in marks from the casts. He slowly sat up, reaching down and starting to scratch his legs. Sakura smiled slightly, kissing his cheek, "They sure must have itched huh?" She asked, looking down at his legs.

Gaara nodded, still scratching his legs. He had scabs on the left side of his legs from the surgery, but they would heal over time. He let out another groan, relieved that he could finally itch his legs. It was a _pain_ not being able to move. "Alright Lord Kazekage, you're going to have to take it easy for a few days got it?" a female nurse spoke softly, giving him a warm smile.

Gaara glanced up at the nurse, rolling his eyes. He didn't need to take anything _easy._ He had things he needed to do.. like murdering that woman. Gaara slowly sat up, his legs slightly shaking under the pressure of his body.

Sakura quickly wrapped her arms around her lover, frowning. "Gaara you need to take it easy alright?" Gaara only struggled to get out of her grasps, "Let me go, I'll be fine.." He grumbled, squirming. The pink haired kunoichi shook her head no, picking him up off the ground.

"You're going to take it easy whether you like it or not got it." She replied with a smile. Gaara glared daggers at her while he squirmed. He didn't need to rest! Sakura avoided the daggers, holding onto the red head tighter to keep him from moving. He struggled for a few minutes before deeming it too much effort to keep going. He let out a long sigh.

Sakura kissed his cheek, looking up at the nurses. "I'll make sure he takes it easy. Thank you guys for everything. I wouldn't have been able to save him if it wasn't for you." Sakura moved her eyes back down to her lover. It wasn't surprising that he had fallen asleep in her arms. ' _You sure do fall asleep quickly don't you'_ she thought to herself.

"Of course Sakura, we hope you figure out what happened to the building. Good luck on your searches, just be safe." One of the nurses nodded with their answer. The young nurse glanced at the young Kazekage in Sakura's arms. "It would be a shame for something else to happen to him again." She shook her head, her smile reforming on her face, almost like a mask.

Sakura nodded, starting to walk out of the building. It seemed that if she replied she would have to sit there and talk, which she really wasn't in the mood to do. All the young kunoichi wanted to do was cuddle up next to the side of her lover and fall asleep in his warmth. She let out yet another sigh. Her lover was never heavy, in fact he was only about a hundred twenty pounds. He was much too light for his age, but he never gained weight.

The first few months, Sakura panicked over his size. He looked like a skeleton.. that somehow had a chiseled chest..

She shook her head at the thought. He was still far too thin.

Sakura walked through the streets, holding Gaara against her chest. People watched as she passed by, looking at them with mixed emotions. Some people were worried, others seemed confused. Sakura watched each expression closely. Everyone seemed to just be _staring_ at them. She looked down at her feet anxiously, watching one foot move in front of the other.

Gaara shifted slightly in her arms, causing her to move her gaze towards the red head. He gave a small sigh, seeming to be still in a deep sleep.

…

Sakura flipped through the pictures that haunted her dreams. The blood that covered the walls made her quiver slightly. She frowned as she looked at the last picture. The darkness of the shot made it seem as if it was impossible to make out the details. The rope was tight around his neck, dark marks all around his skin. Blood covered his mouth and nose, the blood running down his chin. Sakura could barely make out the knife that was dug deep into his skin. She looked closely at the picture, soon noticing something on his neck.

Sakura brought the picture closer to her face to try to get a good look at it. The mark was small and red, it almost looked like a curse mark. She couldn't quite make out what the mark looked like due to the quality of the photo. She stared at for what felt like hours, however she knew it was only just a few minutes.

She glanced back at the red head sleeping soundly under the white sheets in their hotel. The sheets slowly moved up and down as he breathed. He held onto a small edge of the soft fabric, holding onto it as if it was a stuffed animal. A small smile spread across her lips as she looked at the peaceful figure sleeping in the bed.

Sakura looked back at the photo in her hand. She traced her eyes over the picture, taking everything into consideration. She noticed that the walls were made out of bricks, the ground out of white tile. The tile on the ground seemed to be cracked, as if it had been placed years ago. The rope around his neck was thin and a darker color, which she presumed to be a dark brown. The knife reflected some sort of small light, like a candle light from a distance. Blood seeped from the wound down to the floor, dripping off his legs.

She looked at what Gaara was wearing. His normal robes were torn to shreds, pieces of the article of clothing dangling by a single strand. Chunks of the material were resting on the ground, absorbing all the blood that it could hold. Large rips in his shirt allowed her to make an inference that he had been in a fight of some sort, however the outcome wasn't what she had hoped. His pants had rips from his knees all the way down, making it so the fabric flowered out to show his skin. Blood ran from under some of the rips to his feet. He most likely had other wounds on his body.

The things surrounding him didn't tell her much about the place. All she could see was blood smears on the wall. An imprint of a hand out of dried blood was planted behind him. The pink haired kunoichi couldn't tell if the hand prints were from her lover or a previous captive.

Sighing, Sakura flipped the piece of paper over. On the back were initials marked 'AK'. She pondered the letters, a name quickly coming to her mind. "Akari.." She whispered quietly, tracing her fingers over the light pen. The ink seemed to have faded, smeared slightly on the paper.

After staring at the small piece of paper, Sakura put the picture down gently on the table. She turned around to see that Gaara was sitting up in bed, staring at her idly. He remained silent as he stared, his eyes half closed. The young woman could tell that he had just woken up, mainly from his bed head.

"Good morning Gaara, how are you feeling?" The pink haired kunoichi asked, getting up from her chair. She walked over to the red head, sitting next to him on the bed. He stayed silent as he slowly leaned onto the shoulder of his lover. A yawn escaped his lips as he blinked tiredly. Wrapping an arm aloud the young Kazekage, Sakura smiled. She placed a gentle, featherlight kiss on his forehead, next to the 'love' symbol permanently carved into his skin.

Gaara let out a small sigh as his lover's lips skimmed over his skin. The Pinkett's lips were soft, like silk brushing his forehead. Sakura smiled slightly at the red head's reaction, her hands moving up to stroke his crimson hair. Her fingers grazed his locks, as soon as they did the red head leaned into the touch. A small smile spread across his face as he pushed slightly into her warm hands.

Sakura rubbed his head lovingly, making sure to rub all the spots he liked. Her fingers rubbed deeply in his scalp, producing a small groan from the red head. He let out a shaky sigh as the feeling of her fingers overwhelmed him.

Sakura looked at the red head, knowing now was the best time to talk about the subject, "Gaara, we need to talk about those pictures.."

* * *

 **Again, sorry for the wait! I have been going through a lot, (Home and school) So I needed a break, Thank you for reading though! Make sure to leave any ideas in the comments.  
** **I** **have the rest pretty much planned out so don't worry! I'll try to keep the chapters coming at a steady pace!  
Please R&R!  
** **See you all in the next chapter!**


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